PRINCETON,  N.J.  ' 


Purchased  by  the  Hammill  Missior.ary  Fund. 


DS  413  .M58 

Mitchell,  Maria  Hay  Flyter, 

d.  1907. 
Scenes  in  Southern  India 


1 


SCENES 

IN 

Southern  India. 


BY 

MRS.  MURRAY  MITCHELL. 


WITH  NUMEROUS  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


AMERICAN  TRACT  SOCIETY, 

150  NASSAU  STREET,  NEW  YORK. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2015 


https://archive.org/details/scenesinsouthernOOmitc_0 


INTRODUCTORY  NOTE. 


My  wife  asks  me  to  write  a  preface  to  her  book,  and 
I  have  agreed  to  do  it ;  but  I  find  very  Httle  to  say  that 
is  not  better  said  in  the  book  itself 

We  have  many  works  on  India,  but  not  many  writ- 
ten by  women.  This  one,  it  is  hoped,  may  accordingly 
help  to  fill  up  a  blank.  On  several  subjects,  especially 
those  connected  with  family  life  in  the  East,  women  are 
much  better  qualified  to  speak  than  men. 

The  book  refers  to  Southern  India,  the  Presidency 
of  Madras.  It  is  always  well  to  remember  that  there  is 
as  much  diversity  between  two  parts  of  India  as  between 
two  parts  of  Europe ;  that,  for  cxamjjle,  a  native  of 
Travancore  is  as  different  from  a  Bengali,  as  a  Spaniard 
from  a  Swede.  Missionary  work,  too,  has  a  peculiar 
aspect  in  the  south  of  India,  inasmuch  as  it  began  nearly 
*  a  century  earlier  than  in  Bengal,  and  more  than  a  cen- 
tury before  its  commencement  in  Bombay.  Hence,  in 
some  respects,  it  has  a  different  character  in  the  Madras 
Presidency. 

It  will  not  detract  from  the  value  of  these  pages  that 
the  writer  was  able  to  compare  one  part  of  India  w  ith 
another.  Missionary  work,  however,  is  by  no  means 
the  only  io\)\c  referred  to  in  this  little  book.  Mrs. 
Mitchell  took  a  lively  interest  in  nearly  everything  she 


4 


INTRODUCTORY  NOTE. 


saw ;  and  she  has  endeavored  to  give  a  faithful  descrip- 
tion of  what  has  most  occupied  her  attention. 

We  had  for  many  years  been  famihar  v.ilh  mission- 
ary efforts  both  in  the  west  and  north  of  India,  and  it 
was  the  fulfilhnent  of  a  long-cherished  hope  when  we 
were  at  length  able  to  visit  the  chief  missions  of  the 
South.  What  we  saw  awakened  the  deepest  possible 
interest.  We  were  also  able  to  take  part,  to  a  con- 
siderable extent,  in  the  work ;  so  that  the  visit  might 
be  called  an  evangelistic  tour.  The  welcome  we  every- 
where received,  both  from  the  missionaries  and  the 
native  Christians,  will  ever  remain  with  us  as  a  delight- 
ful memory.  Nor  can  we  forget  the  kindly  greetings 
of  many  others  who  were  not  professedly  Christians, 
but  who  seemed  fully  convinced  that  they  had  no  truer 
friends  than  the  missionaries. 

India  is  at  present  in  a  state  of  transition,  and  not  of 
slow  transition.  No  change  recorded  in  history  was  of 
greater  magnitude  than  that  which  is  now  going  on ; 
and  the  issues,  social,  religious,  political,  will  be  in 
every  way  momentous.  This  little  work  will  not  have 
been  written  in  vain  if  it  may  serve  to  extend  a  knowl- 
edge of  Indian  life  and  character,  increase  the  interest 
felt  in  missionary  work — especially  as  carried  on  among 
women — and  deepen  in  the  mind  of  Britain  a  sense  of 
national  responsibility  to  God  in  connection  with  her 
great  Eastern  dependency. 

J.  MURRAY  MITCHELL. 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


TEMPLE  OF  KUMDHAKONAM,    SOUTHERN  IN- 
DIA  Frojttispiece. 

MADRAS  SURF  ^4 

A  WATER-CARRIER  53 

PLOUGHING  32 

SCHWARTZ  7S 

TEMPLE  OF  SUDRAHMANYA,  TANJORE  .      .       .  ^6 

TANK  AND  TEMPLE  AT  MADURA      .       .       .  .1^6 

BELL-MUSIC  USED  AT  DEVIL-WORSHIP  .      .  .136 

POUNDING  RICE  142 

BULLOCK  CART  164 

NAGERCOIL  CHURCH  174 

MAHARAJAH  OF  TRAVANCORE  {From  a  photograph)  iSo 

SISTER  OF  THE  MAHARAJAH  {From  a  photograph)  .  iSo 

A  HINDOO  BEGGAR  202 

A  HINDOO  BRAHMIN  230 

BOATS  ON  THE  BACKWATER  252 

SCENES  IN  TRAVANCORE  290 

A  SCENE  ON  THE  BACKWATER  320 

TODAS  75./ 

1 


CHAPTER  I. 

We  Begin  our  Missionary  Journey  9 

CHAPTER  II. 

Poona.    Sholapore  17 

CHAPTER  III. 

Madras  31 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Madras.    Female  Work  42 

CHAPTER  V. 

Chingleput  61 

CHAPTER  VI. 

The  Early  Missions  to  India  72 

CHAPTER  VII. 
Tanjore  80 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Dindigal.    Its  Medical  Mission  104 


CONTENTS.  7 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Madura  and  its  Missions  119 

CHAPTER  X. 
Madura  and  its  Temples  130 

CHAPTER  XI. 
Tinnevelly.    Palamcotta  143 

CHAPTER  XII. 

Travancore.    Nagercoil  166 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

Woman's  Work.    Sunday  at  Nagercoil  185 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
Cape  Comorin  196 

CHAPTER  XV. 

Neyoor.    Pareychaley  211 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
Trevandrum  228 

CHAPTER  XVII. 
The  Backwater  247 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Cottayam :  its  Missions.   The  Syrian  Christians  of  Malabar  25S 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

Cottayam:  Sunday  Service  ;vnioiig  the  Syrian  Christians       .  278 


8 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XX. 
The  Hill  Arriaiis  of  Travaiicore  290 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

Cochin:  The  White  and  Black  Jews  303 

CHAPTER  XXII. 
Trichoor  317 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 
Coimbatore  334 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 
The  Neilgherries  338 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

The  Todas  and  a  Toda-Mund  353 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 
Homeward  367 


SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


CHAPTER  I. 

WE  BEGIN  OUR  MISSIONARY  JOURNEY. 

January  15,  1882. 
The  dawn  was  spreading  softly  over  earth  and 
sky  yesterday  morning  when,  after  a  more  sub- 
stantial chota  hajri  or  preliminary  breakfast  than 
usual,  we  stood  in  the  veranda  equipped  for  the 
start. 

Our  starting-point  was  Bombay,  where  we  had 
been  staying  some  weeks  with  our  kind  friends, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Miller.  .  .  . 

We  had  to  leave  early  to  catch  the  morning 
train  for  Poona  and  the  Deccan.  The  morningr 
is  always  the  best  part  of  our  Indian  day,  and  I 
am  almost  sure  that  it  is  also  the  most  beautiful. 
As  I  stood  watching  the  sweet  silver  dawn  steal 
gently  up  and  dispel  the  darkness  and  mystery  of 
night,  I  thought  it  was  not  so  wonderful  that  the 
impressionable,  dreamy  old  poets  of  ancient  India 


lO  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 

should  have  made  her  one  of  their  divinities.  The 
Dawn  is  one  of  the  earliest  Hindoo  goddesses. 
She  is  called  Ushas,  and  is  described  with  poetic 
grace  as  "a  mother  come  to  awake  her  sleeping 
children."  The  contemplation  of  nature  in  her 
sublime  and  exquisite  aspects  no  doubt  led  to  her 
adoration  among  those  old  Rishis,  for  they  were 
ignorant  of  him  who  is  the  God  and  Framer  of 
nature  and  did  not  hear  her  voice  aright.  Surely 
nothing  ever  declared  his  glory  with  more  elo- 
quent speech  than  this  pure,  blue,  beauteous,  cold- 
weather  dawn !  It  is  so  peaceful,  yet  so  gladsome, 
so  fresh,  and  so  suggestive  of  hope. 

As  I  gazed  on  the  lovely  scene  from  the  ver- 
anda I  thought  our  dear  old  Bombay  had  never 
looked  more  beautiful.  The  chief  feature  in  the 
scene  was  the  great,  calm,  peaceful  sea,  of  the 
deepest  indigo  blue,  beginning  now  to  sparkle  in 
the  rays  of  the  rising  sun,  stretching  to  the  far 
horizon  and  rippling  up  on  the  rocks  at  our  feet 
with  musical  murmur.  An  immense  fleet  of  fish- 
ing craft  with  white  sails  gleamed  in  the  dis- 
tance; there  were  also  one  or  two  large  ships  with 
sails  .set  to  catch  the  morning  breeze;  while  nearer 
the  shore,  here  and  there,  a  tall-masted  pattiinar 
or  cargo-boat  glided  past,  helped  on  by  the  oar. 
Flocks  of  silver-winged  gulls  rode  on  the  blue 
wavelets  hunting  for  their  breakfast,  and  down 


WE  BEGIN  OUR  MISSIONARY  JOURNEY.  II 

among  the  rocks  one  or  two  tall-necked  cranes 
stalked  majestically,  similarly  engaged. 

Along  the  margin  white-robed  Parsis,  in  their 
high,  picturesque  head-gear  of  dark  calico,  stood 
facing  the  sea,  muttering  prayers,  gentlemen  and 
ladies  galloped  along  the  good  wide  road,  while 
babies  and  ayahs  and  dogs  and  servants  and  po- 
nies passed  in  grand  retinue,  all  bound  for  the 
early  walk.  Every  one  who  is  wise  tries  to  ex- 
tract what  vigor  is  to  be  had  from  the  fresh  air  of 
morning  in  India.  As  we  drove  away  from  the 
hospitable  door  I  am  not  sure  that  I  was  so  elated 
as  I  ought  to  have  been  to  think  that  a  long-cher- 
ished dream  was  about  to  be  realized  and  we  were 
indeed  oflF  to  see  the  mission  fields  of  South  India. 

We  were  tired,  for  we  had  had  an  exciting 
week.  This  was  due  to  the  visit  of  the  famous 
Boston  lecturer,  Mr.  Joseph  Cook,  and  his  charm- 
ing wife.  .  .  .  The  wonderfully  able  lectures,  the 
crowds,  the  growing  interest  of  Mr.  Cook's  utter- 
ances, the  dinners,  the  meetings,  and  the  univer- 
sal entertaining,  were  all  so  thoroughly  enjoyed 
that  our  energies  were  naturally  used  up. 

This  most  stirring  visit  was  indeed  an  im- 
mense success.  I  never  saw  our  native  friends 
gather  in  more  enthusiastic  crowds  than  they  did 
to  every  lecture,  whatever  the  hour.  Is  it  not  a 
fact  worth  noting  and  something  to  be  thankful 


12 


SCENES  IN  SUOTIIERN  INDIA. 


for  that  a  man  like  Mr.  Cook  can  come  out  to 
India  and  find  at  once,  over  the  length  and  breadth 
of  it,  audiences  of  English-speaking,  educated  na- 
tive gentlemen  ready  to  hear  and  understand  and 
appreciate  all  he  has  to  say  to  them?  I  hope 
such  visits  from  men  of  mark,  both  European  and 
American,  may  henceforth  be  of  more  frequent 
occurrence. 

One  of  the  social  gatherings  held  in  honor  of 
our  distinguished  guests  was  to  myself  the  most 
interesting  by  far.  This  was  an  entertainment 
given  by  the  Native  Christian  Union  of  Bombay. 
It  took  place  in  the  large  upper  hall  of  the  Free 
Church  Institution,  which,  when  all  had  assem- 
bled, presented  quite  a  striking  spectacle.  The 
place  was  prettily  decorated.  Round  the  room 
sat  rows  of  native  Christians  of  all  degrees — 
fathers,  mothers,  and  children,  while  numerous 
groups  occupied  the  centre.  Many  nationalities 
were  represented,  Hindoos,  Parsis,  Europeans, 
Americans,  East  Indians,  etc. ;  and  every  mission, 
I  think,  in  Bombay  contributed  its  quota  of  guests, 
both  European  and  native.  Many  friends  too  had 
come  from  Poona  and  other  out-stations  to  be 
present,  and  altogether  the  assemblage  was  large 
and  most  interesting.  The  costumes  were  of 
course  very  varied,  and  the  whole  scene  was  full 
of  color  and  animation  and  picturesqueness.  It 


WE  BEGIN  OUR  MISSIONARY  JOURNEY.  I3 

was  also  full  of  sujrs^estiveness.  One's  heart  could 
not  but  thrill  with  thankfulness  and  joy  at  such  a 
sight.  These  men  and  women  are  the  fruit  of 
missionary  effort,  part  of  the  great  ingathering 
from  the  Gentile  world,  the  vision  of  which  filled 
our  Lord  himself  with  holy  joy  when  he  said,  "I, 
if  I  be  lifted  up  from  the  earth,  will  draw  all 
men  unto  me." 

I  had  the  good  fortune  to  sit  beside  an  Ameri- 
can stranger,  a  lady  whose  face  was  beaming  with 
benevolence.  "What  a  sight!"  she  exclaimed. 
"Can  all  these  indeed  be  Christians?  I  would 
have  come  all  the  way  from  America  if  only  to 
witness  this  scene  and  to  meet  these  people.  How 
is  it,"  she  added,  "  that  people  say  missions  have 
had  no  success  ?' ' 

How  indeed  ?  All  one  can  say  is  that  it  is  as 
if  a  man  went  forth  at  noonday,  bandaged  his 
eyes,  and  then  declared  that  there  was  no  sun  shi- 
ning in  the  heavens.  I  brought  some  of  our  nice 
native  Christian  girls  to  introduce  to  her,  some  of 
the  workers  in  the  schools  and  zenanas,  and  also 
some  of  the  daughters  of  the  bright  Christian 
homes  which  now  happily  are  multiplying  in  the 
land.  They  looked  very  neat  and  dainty  in  their 
pretty  native  dress,  the  sari^  in  diflerent  hues.  I 
was  much  plea.sed  afterwards  when  the  lady  re- 
marked not  only  on  their  intelligence,  but  the 


14  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 

modesty  and  general  propriety  of  demeanor  they 
evinced,  which  indeed  is  characteristic  of  Hindoo 
ladies. 

Among  women  of  the  higher  castes  in  India 
there  is  a  wonderful  amount  of  natural  refine- 
ment, with  a  certain  attractive  gentleness  and 
quiet  self-restraint  of  manner.  You  feel  this  in 
visiting  among  them.  I  have  gone  into  the  most 
squalid  and  unpromising  zenana  and  yet  found  at 
once  that  I  was  among  ladies.  The  poor  things 
may  be  only  half  clad,  very  sad  and  crushed  look- 
ing, all  their  surroundings  (which  often  are  little 
more  than  bare  dirty  walls)  may  be  utterly  sordid 
and  mean,  and  yet  they  will  receive  you  with  all 
the  quiet  courtesy  of  gentlefolks.  Of  course  I 
know  how  easily  all  this  can  be  marred  and  how 
spoiled  one  of  these  women  is  if  she  becomes  bold 
or  too  suddenly  adopts  the  free  manners  of  the 
West.  The  peril  lies  in  a  too  rapid  transition 
from  the  restraints  which  Eastern  customs  enjoin 
and  a  premature  introduction  into  general  society, 
which  is  public  life  to  one  who  has  lived  her  life 
previously  in  the  seclusion  of  a  Hindoo  home. 
Freedom  must  come,  but  let  it  come  gradually — 
let  it  come  last !  First  let  the  soul  be  set  free ! 
"The  soul  must  be  educated,"  as  one  of  them- 
selves truly  says.  When  this  takes  place,  when 
our  Eastern  sisters  have  received  the  truth,  and 


WE  BEGIN  OUR  MISSIONARY  JOURNEY.  I5 

the  truth  has  made  them  free,  then  they  will  be 
free  indeed;  and  to  their  own  pleasant  heritage  of 
womanly  decorum  will  be  added  the  ornament  of 
"a  meek  and  quiet  spirit,  which  in  the  sight  of 
God  is  of  great  price. ' ' 

After  tea  Mr.  Cook  gave  us  an  address,  which 
as  usual  was  most  stirring.  In  speaking  of  the 
difficulties  with  which  missionaries  have  to  con- 
tend he  made  use  of  a  happy  illustration.  He 
compared  the  work  to  the  building  of  a  light- 
house. He  said  there  is  so  much  important  and 
preliminary  labor  to  be  done  first  below  the  sur- 
face of  the  water — blasting  of  rocks,  building  of 
foundations,  much  buffeting  with  the  waves — and 
all  to  be  bravely  endured  and  overcome.  But 
when  all  this  is  accomplished  the  majestic  tower 
begins  to  rise.  The  worst  is  over,  the  difficulties 
are  mastered,  the  grand  purpose  is  achieved — the 
light  appears!  And,  thank  God,  it  will  go  on 
and  shine  for  evermore. 

All  the  strangers  remarked  on  the  beautiful 
exhibition  of  Christian  union  which  the  native 
churches  of  India  generally  present.  This  is  true. 
In  these  days  of  division  the  brotherly  love  and 
mutual  trust  and  common  purpose  often  found 
existing  among  the  Christians  all  over  India  cheer 
one's  heart  unspeakably.  Long  may  this  condi- 
tion of  things  last ! 


l6  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 

Our  beautiful  Western  Ghats  were  as  beauti- 
ful as  ever  as  we  ascended  yesterday  and  the  rail- 
way line  as  striking  as  usual.  Our  train  zig- 
zagged its  seemingly  perilous  path,  first  up  the 
gentle  green  slopes,  then,  as  it  got  higher,  round 
precipitous  crags,  skirting  deep  gorges  and  stu- 
pendous precipices,  pursuing  its  way  slowly  and 
steadily  from  ridge  to  ridge  through  the  sinuosi- 
ties of  the  chain,  until  at  length  we  got  to  the  top 
of  the  great  mountain  wall  and  the  huge  panting 
engine  drew  up  in  the  pretty  station  of  Khandala. 
We  had  left  the  Konkan,  with  its  wavy  palm- 
trees  and  rich  tropical  vegetation  and  cultivated 
lands  and  moist,  warm  air,  lying  far  below  on  the 
margin  by  the  sea,  and  had  mounted  to  the  brown 
plains  and  fresher  air  of  the  Deccan  plateau. 

Late  in  the  evening  we  reached  our  goal  for 
this  day,  the  dear  old  mission-house  at  Poona, 
where  the  warmest  of  welcomes  always  awaits  us. 


POONA.  SHOLAPORE. 


17 


CHAPTER  II. 

POONA.  SHOLAPORE. 

January  24. 

We  had  another  exciting  day,  for  the  Cooks 
joined  us  in  Poona  and  were  also  the  guests  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Beaumont  in  the  mission-house.  .  . 

In  the  evening  we  all  went  in  company  to 
the  Hira-bag  to  hear  Mr.  Cook's  lecture.  This 
is  a  large  hall  standing  by  itself  in  some  pretty 
grounds  on  the  outskirts  of  the  native  city,  beside 
a  beautiful  tank  filled  with  water,  on  which  some 
water-lilies  float,  and  just  under  the  temple-crown- 
ed, picturesque  little  sacred  hill  of  Parbutty. 
The  hall  was  densely  packed  with  all  manner  of 
people  come  to  hear  the  celebrated  lecturer,  and 
crowds  stood  about  every  door  and  window. 

Now,  as  always  in  Poona,  the  striking  part  of 
the  audience  was  the  number  of  fine-looking, 
fine-featured  Hindoo  gentlemen,  the  elite  oi  native 
society,  who  filled  the  benches — remarkable-look- 
ing men  in  white  garb,  strictly  national,  with 
huge  red  or  white  turbans,  wonderfully  fair  in 
complexion,  with  the  keen,  intellectual  counte- 
nance of  the  Maratha  Brahman. 


a   cenei  Id  Southein  IntJU. 


2 


i8 


SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


These  are  Hindoos  of  the  Hindoos — not  half- 
Europeanized,  like  the  Bengali  Baboos — though 
they  are  as  thoroughly  educated,  and  many  of 
them  first-rate  speakers  themselves.  They  are  in- 
tensely national,  and  naturally  so.  Poona  was  the 
capital  of  the  Maratha  empire,  and  the  Peshwas — 
the  rulers — being  themselves  Brahmans,  they 
were  great  patrons  of  their  caste.  The  present 
inhabitants  naturally  look  back  with  a  wistful 
eye  to  the  glories — real  or  imaginary — of  the  old 
days  of  Maratha  supremacy;  and  whatever  old 
national  beliefs  and  customs  they  can  possibly  re- 
tain they  do  retain.  Politics  seem  to  occupy 
their  attention  more  than  religion,  and  sometimes 
they  no  doubt  practise  the  rites  of  Hindooism 
without  believing  in  their  efficacy.  They  are 
sometimes  extremely  severe  in  their  criticism  on 
the  measures  of  Government,  though  most  of  them 
are  far  too  high-minded  and  honorable  to  be  con- 
sciously unjust. 

Such  an  intelligent  people  are  sure  to  advance. 
Education,  missionary  influence,  and  other  forces 
have  done  their  work.  Destruction  of  the  old 
faith  has  come,  but  the  reconstruction  has  yet  to 
come.  What  is  needed  is  a  touch  from  the  life- 
giving  Spirit  of  the  living  God,  that  the  train 
which  has  been  so  diligently  laid  by  all  the  influ- 
ences, at  work  may  be  fired  by  divine  power.  Then 


rOONA.  SHOLAPORE. 


19 


we  should  see  this  fine,  interesting  people,  with 
so  many  noble  qualities,  flocking  to  the  feet  of 
Christ.  The  pity  is  that  Christianity  comes  to 
them  as  the  religion  of  the  conqueror.  This  cir- 
cumstance, of  course,  increases  the  difficulty  of 
the  missionaries'  task.  But  more  faith  and  prayer 
and  earnest  work,  more  pleading  with  Him  whose 
cause  it  is,  would  bring  down  that  quickening 
power  without  which  nothing  that  man  can  do 
will  avail. 

As  I  sat  watching  the  thoughtful  faces,  and 
the  effect  of  Mr.  Cook's  stirring  words  upon  them, 
I  could  not  help  praying  that  some  of  those  sharp 
arrows  from  above,  so  effectual  in  the  Spirit's 
hand,  would  come  direct  to  some  of  these  men — 
such  as  was  shot  into  the  mind  of  Luther  when 
he  exclaimed,  "The  just  shall  live  by  faith!" 
Thus  would  they  become  the  best  apostles  and 
teachers  of  their  countrymen,  and  the  salvation 
of  God  would  come  to  this  people. 

We  had  to  leave  before  the  meeting  closed; 
we  rushed  to  our  train,  secured  a  good  second- 
class  carriage  to  ourselves,  spread  our  quilts  on 
the  hard  benches,  slept  as  well  as  we  could  un- 
der the  circumstances,  and  before  daybreak,  shiv- 
ering in  the  cold  of  the  Deccan  morning,  we 
arrived  at  Sholapore.  A  special  pleasure  has 
awaited  us  here  in  being  the  guests  of  our  dear 


20 


SCENES  IN-  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


old  friends  the  Johnstones,  Mr.  Johnstone  being; 
now  assistant  judge  of  this  station. 

There  is  a  flourishing  branch  mission  of  the 
American  Board  in  Sholapore,  and  Rev.  Mr. 
Gates  and  his  wife  are  at  the  head  of  it.  She  has 
come  of  a  missionar\-  family,  her  father  being 
our  old  friend  the  Rev.  Mr.  Hazen  of  Ahmedna- 
gar.  I  have  had  her  on  my  knee  when  a  baby. 
There  are  several  of  these  mi5sionar\-  families 
who  have  done  noble  serv  ice  in  the  foreign  fleld ; 
and  many  dark  places  of  the  earth  would  be  still 
darker  but  for  the  energ}*  and  practical  wisdom 
which  the  Americans  bring  to  bear  on  all  that 
they  do.  British  people,  to  whom  India  has  been 
especially  entrusted,  ought  to  be  grateful  to  their 
American  friends  for  their  zealous  and  successful 
work  among  the  heathen. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  parts  of  Mr.  Gates' 
mission  is  the  medical  department  It  is  con- 
ducted by  a  native  practitioner,  who  seems  to 
manage  it  admirably.  We  visited  him  and  his 
wife  this  morning,  and  saw  their  own  neat  little 
dwelling  as  well  as  the  dispensar\-,  both  under 
one  roof,  and  literally  smothered  by  a  lovely  mass 
of  creeping  convolvulus.  The  patients  pay  for 
their  medicines;  and  it  is  remarkable  that  though 
there  are  three  dispensaries  in  the  city  where 
medicines  are  free,  yet  the  numbers  who  come  to 


POONA.  SHOLAPORE. 


21 


the  mission  increase  day  by  day.  Let  us  hope 
that  the  medicine  for  their  souls  which  they  also 
receive  may  be  part  of  the  attraction  !  Mr.  Gates 
thinks  it  is  so,  lor  many  of  the  patients  in  their 
sorrow  and  suffering  seem  to  hear  the  divine  Word 
gladly. 

Among  those  who  came  to-day  was  a  native 
Christian  from  a  village  called  Watwad,  a  place 
about  seventy-five  miles  northeast  of  Sholapore, 
in  the  Xizam's  dominions.  It  seems  that  this 
village  is  the  centre  of  an  indigenous  and  most 
hopeful  little  mission;  and  the  stor>'  of  the  en- 
trance of  light  into  that  dark  region  is  so  interest- 
ing that  I  think  I  must  relate  it. 

Nearly  seventeen  years  ago  a  gosavi^  or  reli- 
gious mendicant,  named  Mhasoba,  was  sent  to 
prison  by  the  well-known  Meadows  Taylor  for 
cattle-stealing.  While  in  prison  he  happily 
learned  to  read.  He  had  a  friend,  another  gosavi, 
who,  after  Mhasoba's  release,  came  to  him,  tell- 
ing him  he  had  heard  of  some  new,  strange  doc- 
trines taught  by  white  missionaries  and  he  wanted 
to  find  out  what  these  doctrines  were.  "You 
now  can  read,"  he  said;  "you  can  help  me  to 
find  out  what  it  all  means." 

The  two  men  consulted  together,  and  de- 
cided they  would  go  and  .seek  for  the  missiona- 
ries, who,  they  heard,  were  to  be  found  at  Sliola- 


22  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


pore.  After  a  weary  trudge  of  many  days,  to 
Sholapore  they  came. 

The  missionary  who  was  laboring  then  at  this 
station  was  Mr.  Hazen,  Mrs.  Gates'  father,  who 
lias  now  returned  to  America.  He  received  the 
wayfarers  most  kindly,  hearing  their  request,  so 
similar  to  that  of  the  Greeks  to  Philip,  "We 
would  see  Jesus."  He  instructed  them,  gave 
them  tracts  and  books,  one  of  which  was  called 
"The  True  Way,"  and  pointed  them  to  Him 
who  is  "the  Way,  the  Truth,  and  the  Life." 
They  carried  the  books  back  to  their  village, 
where  Mhasoba  read  them  aloud  to  his  fellow- 
inquirers  and  the  rest  of  the  people.  After  much 
thought  and  study  and  earnest  prayer,  seeking 
the  Lord  with  sincere  hearts,  if  "haply  they 
might  feel  after  him  and  find  him,"  they  did 
find  him,  as  every  real  seeker  does,  and  made  up 
their  minds  that  they  would  enter  on  this  new 
way  and  become  Christians.  But  they  did  not 
quite  know  how,  and  it  was  years  before  they 
had  an  opportunity  of  being  baptized. 

At  length,  in  the  cold  season  of  1874,  the  Rev, 
Mr.  Park,  lately  of  the  American  Mission,  Bom- 
bay, was  itinerating  in  the  district.  Mhasoba 
heard  of  his  arrival  and  came  twenty  miles  to  see 
the  missionary  and  ask  to  be  baptized.  He  had 
had  no  human  instructor,  only  the  little  books. 


POONA.     SHOLAPORE.  23 

blessed  by  the  teaching  of  the  Holy  Ghost;  but 
I\Ir.  Park  found  him  prepared.  Like  the  Ethio- 
pian of  old,  he  believed  with  all  his  heart.  He 
had  manifestly  received  the  baptism  of  the  Spirit, 
so  Mr.  Park  administered  the  ordinance  to  him 
and  his  wife,  and  to  two  other  men  whom  he  had 
instructed. 

After  this  the  missionaries  visited  the  village 
occasionally,  about  once  a  year  or  so;  but  Mhaso- 
ba  and  the  other  converts  have  carried  on  the 
work  themselves.  He  taught  his  daughter  to 
read,  and  she  now  regularly  teaches  the  other  wo- 
men to  read  and  sew  and  sing.  The  work  has 
spread  to  other  villages,  and  now  there  are  sixty 
adults  baptized.  These  people  receive  no  regular 
pecuniary  help  from  the  parent  mission  in  Shola- 
pore.  They  work  at  their  calling,  whatever  that 
may  be,  and  give  regularly — of  their  great  pover- 
ty often — that  Christ's  cause  may  spread  among 
their  people.  At  the  same  time  every  convert 
seems  to  be  an  evangelist.  Even  the  women,  Mr. 
Gates  says,  go  many  miles  to  other  villages,  often 
carrv'ing  their  infants  in  their  arms,  to  tell  other 
women  the  joyful  news;  and  gladly  are  they  wel- 
comed everywhere.  The  people  beg  these  Chris- 
tians to  come  and  teach  them  and  lead  them  also 
into  the  "true  way."  They  have  a  schoolroom 
and  a  little  church,  which,  strange  to  say,  the 


24 


SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


heathen  people  in  the  village  helped  them  to 
build.  They  got  but  very  small  contributions  to- 
wards the  buildings  from  the  mission  funds. 

These  Christians  are  chiefly  Mangs,  a  low 
caste;  but  physically  they  are  fine  men,  and  are 
often  of  manly,  independent  character. 

After  we  had  seen  what  our  friends  had  to 
show  us  in  the  mission  we  went  on  to  visit  the 
fine  old  temple  of  Sideshwar,  which  occupies  one 
side  of  a  handsome  large  tank.  We  also  saw  the 
fort,  which  covers  an  immense  area.  The  walls 
and  ramparts  are  in  excellent  preservation,  and 
there  is  a  wide  moat  all  round  with  some  water  in 
it  and  some  lovely  water-lilies.  A  legend  says 
that  when  this  fort  was  being  built  the  walls  re- 
peatedly tumbled  down.  This  misfortune  was,  of 
course,  attributed,  not  to  any  fault  in  the  work, 
but  to  the  malignity  of  a  certain  deity.  So,  in 
order  to  propitiate  the  angry  god  and  to  cure  this 
unsatisfactory  state  of  matters,  it  was  resolved  to 
oflTer  a  human  sacrifice.  Accordingly  a  woman 
and  a  boy  were  buried  alive  in  the  foundations, 
after  which  the  walls  fell  down  no  more.  We 
were  told  that  the  Brahman  familv,  who  had  the 
honor  of  contributing  the  victims  for  the  sacrifice 
actually  now  receive  a  pension  in  consideration  of 
this  act  of  devotion  and  patriotism  ! 

Dr.  Mitchell  preached  twice  on  Sunday,  the 


POONA.     SHOLAPORE.  25 

morning  service  being  chiefly  for  the  officials  con- 
nected with  the  railway  and  their  families,  on 
each  of  whom  he  afterwards  called,  meeting  with 
the  most  cordial  reception.  Our  country-people 
here  are  often  thankful  for  the  visit  of  a  minister. 
In  the  railway  community  alone  in  Sholapore 
there  are  58  men  and  women  who  are  Protestants, 
a  few  being  East-Indian,  but  most  are  English. 
In  the  evening  the  whole  station  gathered  into 
the  pretty  little  station  church,  and  again  we  had 
a  most  refreshing  service. 

Dr.  Mitchell  has  now  proceeded  along  the  line 
to  hold  services  for  other  people  who  occupy  iso- 
lated positions  in  out-of-the-way  stations  and  are 
often  too  much  neglected  as  far  as  the  ordinances 
of  religion  are  concerned.  It  has  been  arranged 
that  I  shall  rejoin  him  at  Raichore,  en  route  to 
Madras. 

After  a  visit  of  unceasing  enjoyment,  having 
seen  everything  there  is  to  see  and  met  everybody 
there  is  to  meet  in  this  most  social  abode,  I  pre- 
pared, with  our  excellent  factotum  Joseph,  to  de- 
part. 

At  two  in  the  morning  of  the  26th  I  turned 
our  friends'  dwelling  upside  down  by  having  to 
start,  there  being  no  train  suitable  at  a  less  incon- 
venient hour;  and  my  kindest  of  hosts  insisted  on 
escorting  me.    His  influence  with  the  powers  of 


26  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


the  railway  procured  me  a  carriage  free,  at  least 
of  hiiinan  company.  I  took  possession,  and  knew 
little  more  until  the  dawn  looked  in  at  the  win- 
dows and  woke  me  up  to  the  noise  and  monotony 
and  dust  and  fatigue  and  all  the  general  discom- 
fort of  a  long  Indian  railway  journey.  But  pres- 
ently, at  our  next  halt,  my  prince  of  domestics 
appeared  in  his  noiseless  way  at  the  door  with  a 
cup  of  tea  in  his  hand,  whence  procured  I  cannot 
tell,  for  Joseph  is  not  a  man  of  speech;  "deeds, 
not  words,"  being  his  motto.  After  this  I  could 
look  more  at  the  bright  side  of  things,  especially 
as  by  this  time  dawn  had  turned  to  day;  the  sun 
shone  joyously  over  the  wide -spread  plain  and 
was  not  yet  too  fiery  for  comfort. 

The  country  in  this  part  of  the  Deccan  is  not 
pretty.  Now  and  then  we  passed  towns  with 
great  gateways  and  the  remains  of  fortifications, 
which  in  the  old  troublous  times  of  incessant  tur- 
moil and  war  were  needful  for  their  protection. 
There  were  occasional  villages  also  surrounded  by 
old  mud-walls  to  protect  them  from  dacoits  and 
marauders  and  other  unwelcome  visitors,  now 
peacefully  crumbling  to  ruin.  On  the  outskirts 
of  the  towns  there  were  generally  a  few  trees  to 
be  seen;  but,  beyond  these,  our  route  was  mostly 
over  vast  plains,  brown,  bare,  burned  up,  and  per- 
fect solitudes,  as  far  as  human  habitation  went, 


POONA.  SHOLAPORE. 


27 


liaving  little  and  very  imperfect  cultivation.  The 
stations,  however,  always  prettily  decorated  with 
shrubs  and  flowers,  were  full  of  life  and  most 
amusino^,  and  we  had  plenty  of  time  to  enjoy  the 
sii^hts  they  presented.  Though  this  was  the  mail- 
train  we  stopped  very  often  and  halted  very  long; 
manifestly  time  did  not  count  for  much. 

At  the  station  for  Hyderabad  I  noticed  some 
unusually  fine  men,  with  grand,  flowing  beards, 
much  latent  fire  in  their  handsome  faces,  and 
swords  at  their  sides.  They  accompanied  a  Mus- 
sulman grandee,  who  was  seated  on  a  remarkably 
beautiful  black  horse,  with  scarlet  saddle-cloth 
and  trappings  of  gold  and  silver,  whose  gorgeous 
appearance  altogether  suggested  Akbar  or  Hyder 
Ali.  One  or  two  elephants,  with  glittering  how- 
dahs,  stood  in  the  background  tossing  their  fine 
trunks  about,  and  these  helped  the  illusion. 

The  poor  women  squat  about  the  platforms, 
very  helpless-looking,  but  in  wonderfully  pictu- 
resque groups,  clothed  in  their  Turkey-red  cloths 
and  surrounded  by  their  little  naked,  brown  chil- 
dren and  quantities  o{  giciries,  the  inevitable  bun- 
dle without  which  no  Hindoo  can  travel.  One 
young  creature,  with  dark,  Madrassee  face  and 
her  jet-black  hair  drawn  to  one  side  of  her  head 
in  a  huge  knot,  stalked  past  with  a  bottle  poised 
on  her  head,  at  the  same  time  carrying  an  infailt 


28  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


in  her  arms  and  showing  the  utmost  freedom  and 
grace  of  movement.  How  gracefully  these  wo- 
men contrive  to  wear  the  sari^  the  long,  scarf-like 
garment  which  is  the  usual  dress  of  Hindoo  wo- 
men. It  is  wound  round  the  person,  with  the 
end  carried  over  the  head,  after  the  modest  fash- 
ion of  most  Eastern  women.  This  garment  may- 
be colored  or  white.  Generally  the  higher  class- 
es wear  it  of  some  color,  while  servants  and  ayahs 
wear  it  white;  but  all  with  gay  bordering  round 
and  very  elaborate  ends.  The  prevailing  color 
in  this  region,  I  observe,  is  red  in  a  variety  of 
shades. 

One  certainly  has  excellent  opportunities  at 
the  stations,  as  you  pass  along,  of  observing  the 
marvellous  variety  there  is  in  this  extraordinary 
country  of  race,  form,  feature,  color,  costume, 
head-gear,  and  everything.  People  congregate, 
from  the  most  respectable  of  native  gentry  down 
to  the  wretched  fakir  smeared  with  paint  and 
ashes  and  the  grinning  little  gypsy  boys  and 
girls,  who  turn  somersaults  and  hold  up  their 
dirty  little  palms  to  the  carriage  windows  for  a 
pice.    The  interest  is  never-ending. 

Early  in  the  afternoon  we  crossed  the  broad 
bed  of  the  Krishna  River.  In  the  rains  this  is  a 
magnificent,  sea -like  stream,  but  now  it  was 
simply  a  wide  expanse  of  sand,  with  a  few 


POOXA.  SHOLAPORE. 


29 


small,  shallow  streamlets  flowing  dully  here  and 
there. 

Soon  after  this  we  got  to  Raichore,  where  I 
spied  my  husband  waiting  on  the  platform.  He 
had  had  one  or  two  hearty  meetings,  and  altogeth- 
er enjoyed  the  little  ministry  in  these  "regions 
beyond. ' ' 

The  heat  is  much  greater  here  than  in  the  re- 
gions from  which  we  have  come  and  has  not  tend- 
ed to  cure  my  husband's  fever,  so  it  is  with  some 
anxiety  we  face  the  long  night-journey  before  us. 
AVe  changed  into  the  carriages  of  the  Madras 
Railway  and  got  into  a  tiny  box  of  a  second-class 
compartment,  with  very  narrow  and  ver\-  hard 
benches;  but  we  had  it  to  ourselves.  There  was 
water  in  it  and  every  convenience,  and  it  gave  me 
occupation  to  battle  with  the  thick,  white,  stifling 
dust  and  keep  ourselves  tolerably  clean. 

I  had  noticed  early  in  my  journey  that  in  a 
compartment  for  women  next  to  mine  a  native 
lady  was  travelling  alone,  and  often  when  we 
stopped  I  got  out  and  spoke  to  her,  sometimes  go- 
ing in  to  keep  her  company  between  two  stations. 
She  was  extremely  nice  and  intelligent  and  talked 
Hindostani.  Her  husband,  she  told  me,  was  in 
anotlier  compartment,  hers  being  the  zenana  of 
the  train.  At  Raichore  he  introduced  himself  to 
Dr.  Mitchell  and  politely  asked  him  to  thank  me 


30  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 

for  my  attention  to  his  wife.  We  found  she  was 
the  daughter  of  Sir  T.  Madhavarao,  of  Baroda,  and 
he  a  Brahman  occupying  a  high  official  position 
in  the  native  court  of  Travancore.  We  became 
great  friends,  and  he  proved  to  be  a  very  clever, 
highly-educated  man,  speaking  English  with  a 
purity  of  accent  I  have  rarely  heard  from  any  but 
an  Englishman.  They  had  been  at  Baroda  for 
the  grand  doings  when  the  new  Gaekwar  was  in- 
stalled, and  were  now  returning  to  Trevandrum. 
They  begged  us  to  come  and  see  them  when  we 
ourselves  should  reach  that  place.  In  spite  of  the 
dreadful  heat  and  fatigue  and  dust  we  managed  to 
get  a  little  sleep,  and  about  six  next  morning  we 
swept  into  the  station  at  Madras. 


MADRAS. 


31 


CHAPTER  III. 

MADRAS. 

February  r. 

Any  one  who  has  undergone  a  hot,  dusty 
journey  of  twenty-six  hours  on  hard  benches  in 
India  will  comprehend  how  pleasant  it  was  to 
feel  that  we  had  arrived,  and  I  shall  not  easily 
forget  our  feeling  of  gratitude  to  Him  who  had  so 
graciously  "preserved  our  going  out  and  our  com- 
ing in,"  now,  as  in  so  many  wanderings  by  sea 
and  land.  It  was  indeed  a  welcome  sight  as  we 
got  out  of  our  dusty  little  den  to  spy  our  friend 
Mr.  Rae,  of  the  Free  Church  Mission,  waiting 
for  us,  he  and  his  wife  having  most  hospitably 
claimed  us  as  their  guests.  We  were  soon  driven 
to  the  Mission  Boarding-school,  which  is  their 
home  at  present,  Mrs.  Rac  having  lately  under- 
taken the  superintendence  of  it. 

It  is  quite  in  accordance  with  the  tradition  of 
this  good  old  school  that  a  missionary  lady  should 
be  at  its  head.  Many  of  our  best  missionaries 
have  occupied  the  post,  whose  names  deserve  to 
be  held  in  grateful  and  lasting  remembrance  as 
having  borne  the  heat  and  burden  of  the  troublous 
day  which  saw  female  education  started  in  Madras; 


32  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


and  now  it  is  delightful  to  find  Mrs.  Rae  taking 
up  the  work  heart  and  soul.  She  and  hers  have 
just  removed  from  their  pleasant,  roomy  house, 
with  its  grounds  and  garden,  to  the  circumscribed 
quarters  which  the  upper  floor  of  this  school  offers. 
I  need  not  add  that  our  hostess  is  the  author  of 
"Morag"  and  some  other  delightful  books. 

She  stood  on  the  steps  as  we  drove  up  to  the 
door,  ready  to  welcome  us,  with  her  children  at 
her  side — fair  little  creatures,  with  curly  hair  and 
dainty,  airy  attire,  which  looked  cool  in  the  heat 
of  the  too  brilliant  morning.  They  looked  won- 
deringly  at  the  strangers,  but  had  none  of  the 
shyness  most  English  children  have.  We  were 
soon  installed  in  our  comfortable  quarters,  and, 
after  a  good  bath  and  some  tea,  were  ready  for 
anything.  The  two  bairnies,  who  soon  made  up 
their  minds  to  be  friendly,  brought  us  out,  each 
with  a  hand,  to  receive  our  first  visitors.  These 
were  the  two  native  clergymen,  Mr.  Rajahgopal 
and  Mr.  Bauboo,  well-known  names.  Principal 
]\Iiller  and  Mr.  Cooper,  of  the  Christian  College, 
speedily  followed.  We  all  breakfasted  together, 
and  erelong  we  had  been  welcomed  by  all  the 
missionaries  of  our  own  church  and  many  others 
besides. 

I  soon  found  my  way  down  stairs  among  Mrs. 
Rae's  large  flock  of  schoolgirls  and  normal  pupils. 


MADRAS.  33 

with  their  teacher,  Mrs.  Harris,  and  was  glad  to 
find  some  old  acquaintances  among  them  whom  I 
had  seen  on  a  former  visit.  One  of  the  most  im- 
portant and  interesting  parts  of  j\Irs.  Rae's  work 
is  a  Bible-class  for  advanced  students,  which  she 
conducts  every  day,  Sundays  and  week-days,  from 
seven  to  eight  in  the  morning.  I  delight  in  this 
hour,  with  its  admirable  instruction  for  the  train- 
ing of  teachers  and  workers  who  are  to  go  out  by- 
and-by  among  the  zenanas  and  day-schools. 

Since  the  first  hour  of  our  arrival  we  have 
been  as  busy  as  possible,  and  it  is  hard  to  find 
leisure  for  one's  pen.  Our  sight-seeing  has  been 
almost  entirely  confined  to  schools  and  other  op- 
erations of  the  kind,  the  single  regret  being  that, 
as  our  time  is  so  short,  we  cannot  see  all  the  work 
of  all  the  missions  in  this  great  centre  as  we 
should  desire. 

Madras  differs  in  a  good  many  points  from  the 
other  cities  of  India  we  have  seen.  The  European 
part  is  of  immense  extent  and  has  far  more  beauty 
to  show  than  I  remembered.  The  houses  are 
large,  two-storied,  and  exceedingly  handsome. 
They  arc  surrounded  by  extensive  gardens  and 
grounds,  wonderfully  green,  and  ornamented  by 
clumps  of  fine  trees  and  shrubs  and  evergreens 
in  all  the  luxuriance  of  beautiful  tropical  foliage. 
These  residences,  standing  in  their  park-like  in- 


34  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


closures,  extend  for  miles  chiefly  along  the  shore, 
and  there  is  a  sense  of  delightful  expansiveness 
everywhere  as  if  space  counted  for  nothing,  which 
is  extremely  pleasant  in  so  very  hot  a  climate. 
This  is  altogether  different  from  crowded  Bombay, 
where  every  foot  of  ground  is  of  value.  If  Wash- 
ington is  called  "the  city  of  magnificent  dis- 
tances," much  more,  I  am  sure,  may  Madras  be 
so. 

It  is  certainly  strange  for  situation.  It  was  an 
odd  idea  to  plant  a  great  city  down  on  a  long  sea- 
shore without  reference  to  bays  or  harbors,  or 
even  a  reasonably  safe  approach  by  the  natural 
way  to  it,  the  sea.  On  this  coast  the  surf-wave 
is  very  dangerous;  even  in  fine  weather  it  rises 
several  feet;  and  every  one  knows  what  it  means 
to  land  at  Madras  when  the  weather  is  at  all 
tempestuous.  I  have  found  it  quite  exciting  to 
watch  the  catamarans  cut  through  the  boiling 
surf  on  a  stormy  evening.  They  disappear  en- 
tirely for  a  few  moments,  and  you  think  it  is  all 
over  with  the  poor  fishennen  crew.  But  no;  they 
hold  on  somehow  to  their  frail-looking  barks  and 
emerge  presently  none  the  worse,  shaking  them- 
selves free  from  the  white  foam  like  so  many 
water-dogs.  The  dark  skins,  happily,  do  not 
seem  to  attract  the  numerous  sharks  so  readily  as 
white  ones  would  do  in  similar  circumstances. 


f 


MADRAS. 


35 


An  unusually  wide  and  beautifully-kept  road 
stretches  along  the  beach  for  miles.  This  is  the 
Drive,  where  every  one  comes  of  an  evening  for 
a  breath  of  cool  air  from  the  sea  to  bring  some 
fresh  life  into  the  poor  frame,  weary  and  limp 
from  the  pitiless  heat  of  the  tropical  day. 

I  am  bound  to  admit  that  there  are  two  draw- 
backs to  the  full  enjoyment  of  a  visit  to  Madras — 
the  wearing  heat,  which  is  terribly  trying  even 
in  the  so-called  "cold  weather,"  and  the  un- 
speakable plague  of  mosquitoes,  which  seem  to 
be  of  the  most  malignant,  wicked  type.  They 
attack  one  with  a  fierce  pertinacity  I  have  seldom 
seen  equalled;  they  buzz,  sting,  stab,  until  you 
are  fairly  driven  frantic  with  the  irritation  to  both 
nerves  and  skin. 

One  of  the  first  objects  which  would  attract 
your  notice  if  you  should  happen  to  cast  anchor 
in  the  roadstead  of  Madras  would  be  the  line  of 
handsome  buildings  which  form  the  headquarters 
of  the  old-established  and  well-known  Free  Church 
Mission.  First  in  the  line  comes  the  Boarding- 
school,  corresponding  in  decoration  and  appear- 
ance with  its  next  neighbor,  the  Christian  Col- 
lege, which  is  a  very  handsome  and  extensive 
building.  Next  comes  the  Free  church,  and, 
last,  the  Evangelistic  Memorial  Hall.  These  pre- 
sent an  imposing  front  to  the  sea  and  certainly 


36  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 

give  the  mission  a  striking  and  desirable  visibility 
in  the  eyes  of  the  natives.  There  is  a  new  and 
handsome  veranda  added  to  this  school,  whicli  is 
our  favorite  haunt.  It  is  shady  and  cool  and 
bowery  with  numbers  of  pretty  plants,  and  offers 
a  glorious  view  of  the  sea. 

Why  Madras  has  been  called  the  "benighted 
Presidency"  is  always  a  puzzle  to  me.  At  all 
events,  it  no  longer  deserves  the  epithet,  for  I 
believe  there  is  no  city  in  India  where  education 
and  missionary  enterprise  have  had  more  success. 
Female  education  especially  has  made  most  en- 
couraging progress,  and  this  is  always  a  test  of 
enlightenment  and  advance.  We  have  spent  one 
of  the  most  interesting  and  delightful  mornings  I 
remember  in  seeing  the  Christian  College,  under 
the  auspices  of  its  able  and  excellent  principal. 
Dr.  Miller.  He  took  us  all  over  it,  from  the  low- 
est class-room  for  beginners  to  the  highest  section 
for  the  advanced  students  of  the  college. 

This  noble  catholic  institution  has  grown  out 
of  the  Free  Church  Institute,  which  was  founded 
by  the  Rev.  J.  Anderson  in  1837.  It  is  still 
maintained  chiefly  by  the  Free  Church,  but  the 
Church  Missionary  and  Wesleyan  Societies  also 
contribute  to  its  support,  and  the  professors  are 
drawn  from  various  evangelical  churches.  The 
story  is  still  told  how,  at  its  commencement,  the 


MADRAS. 


37 


death-blow  was  given  to  all  caste  distinctions 
within  its  walls.  The  year  after  it  was  opened 
the  admirable  John  Anderson  admitted  two  very 
low-caste  boys,  with  the  immediate  result  that 
the  whole  of  the  two  hundred  and  fifty  good-caste 
pupils  took  their  departure.  Great  commotion 
followed.  Pressure  was  brought  to  bear  on  the 
bold  innovator  to  get  him  to  eject  the  offending 
Pariahs,  but  he  was  firm  as  a  rock.  He  went  on 
with  his  two  low-caste  pupils  until  the  rest  should 
come  to  their  senses,  which  they  gradually  did. 
They  thought  better  of  it  and  returned,  and  from 
that  day  to  this  the  claims  of  caste  have  had  no 
recognition  in  this  college,  though  planted  in  the 
very  heart  of  this  caste-ridden  Presidency. 

Again,  this  uncompromising  missionary  told 
his  pupils  openly  that  his  grand  object  and  aim 
was  to  teach  them  Christ  and  His  religion  and 
win  their  countrymen  for  Him;  consequently  the 
chief  feature  of  his  teaching  would  be  the  Chris- 
tian's book— the  Bible,  the  Word  of  God.  That 
was  the  chief  feature  in  Mr.  Anderson's  time,  and 
I  am  glad  to  say  it  is  the  chief  feature  still.  The 
most  interesting  and  stirring  classes  we  saw  were 
those  for  Bible  knowledge,  and,  judging  from  the 
eager,  earnest  look  with  which  the  pupils  received 
the  lesson,  I  should  say  that  the  P>ible-class  is  one 
of  the  most  popular  in  the  work  of  the  day. 


38  vSCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 

Unfortunately  the  college  is  not  yet  in  full 
working  order,  as  the  pupils  are  only  gathering 
after  the  recess.  But  the  class-rooms  are  full  and 
the  benches  crowded,  and  still  candidates  for  ad- 
mission are  flocking  to  the  doors.  Every  boy 
puts  himself  into  as  small  a  space  as  possible, 
trying  to  make  room  for  a  friend;  but,  after  all, 
many  have  to  be  refused.  It  was  sad  to  see  num- 
bers of  disappointed  lads  hanging  about  the  cor- 
ridors disconsolate  when  not  another  one  could 
possibly  be  admitted.  The  school,  already  so 
large,  could  be  increased  to  any  extent  if  there 
was  only  more  room.  Indeed,  the  pursuit  of 
knowledge  presented  itself  in  some  of  its  droll 
aspects,  especially  in  the  rooms  for  beginners, 
where  you  find  the  very  rawest  material.  I  no- 
ticed one  tall,  lanky  youth  towering  beside  a  very 
small  boy,  with  a  high  white  cap  on  his  head  like 
that  of  a  French  cook,  who  stood  next  above  him 
in  the  class.  The  wee  fellow  hardly  came  to  the 
other's  knee,  but  he  was  as  keen  as  a  needle  and 
preternaturally  quick.  He  kept  surreptitiously 
prompting  his  tall  friend,  who  had  evidently  be- 
gun learning  too  late  in  life,  though  he  was  in- 
tensely earnest  about  it.  It  was  touching  to  see 
the  two,  the  little  one  trying  to  hide  the  deficien- 
cies of  the  older  and  looking  all  the  time  out  of 
the  corner  of  his  quick  eye  to  sec  whether  Dr. 


MADRAS.  39 

Miller  noticed,  which,  of  course,  he  did,  but  said 
nothing;  he  only  smiled  at  the  small  Ramasamy 
and  gave  a  playful  pinch  to  his  ear  as  we  were 
going  out. 

The  large  classes  filled  with  such  motley 
material  were  most  interesting  and  rather  pictu- 
resque. The  head-gear  was  especially  remarkable 
and  varied,  the  huge  white  bunchy  turban  pre- 
dominating. There  were  no  bare  heads  with 
short-cropped  hair,  as  in  Bengal;  every  head  had 
something  on  it  in  the  shape  of  turban.  The 
Madrassees  are  dark-complexioned  —  more  so  a 
good  deal  than  the  Marathas — with  open,  good- 
humored  expression,  and  more  thoughtful  in  look 
than  sharp.  Poor  fellows!  I  was  very  sorry  for 
some  of  them,  waiting  to  know  the  result  of  the 
university  examinations.  There  was  a  look  of 
expectancy  on  some  of  the  faces  and  of  sore  anx- 
iety on  others;  some  seemed  full  of  despair  and 
others  defiant.  What  was  their  fate  to  be?  Who 
would  "pass"?  Who  would  be  "plucked"? 
These  were  the  momentous  questions  which  were 
pressing  on  every  heart.  One  could  not  but  sym- 
pathize— so  much  depended  upon  it  in  their  fu- 
ture— and  yet  it  was  difficult  to  suppress  a  smile 
at  some  of  the  countenances,  so  full  of  woe. 

Their  kind  master  understood  them  all.  He 
addressed  many  by  name  (and  the  Madras  names 


40 


SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


are  very  puzzling  to  a  new  ear),  individualizing 
each  among  the  hundreds  present,  spoke  words  of 
cheer  to  some,  of  playful  reproach  to  others,  and 
of  sympathy  and  kindness  to  all.  I  was  amazed 
to  see  how  he  could  keep  all  their  different  cases 
in  his  memory — like  a  doctor  among  his  patients; 
but  many  a  nice,  good,  honest  face  looked  brighter 
after  Dr.  Miller  had  passed  through  and  dropped 
a  kind  and  stimulating  word  here  and  there.  He 
has  manifestly  gained  the  entire  confidence  and 
affection  of  the  lads.  He  is  the  moving  spirit  of 
the  whole,  but  he  is  most  ably  seconded  by  an 
admirable  staff  of  missionary  professors  and  na- 
tive teachers.  We  saw  IMr.  Paterson  amid  his 
philosophical  and  chemical  apparatus,  Mr.  Rae 
at  his  delightful  Bible-class,  and,  indeed,  all  of 
them — each  at  his  own  particular  and  important 
work. 

It  is  indeed  a  noble  institution,  numbering 
over  1,300,  taking  school  and  college  together. 
It  is  acknowledged  to  be  the  most  influential  of 
all  the  educational  institutions  in  South  India 
and  in  advance  of  all  similar  establishments  in 
this  city  in  attendance,  popularity,  and  in  the 
number  of  men  it  now  passes.  In  university 
honors  it  stands  first.  But,  what  is  of  infinitely 
more  importance,  the  whole  influence,  the  genius 
of  the  place,  is  Christianity.    The  flower  of  the 


MADRAS. 


41 


youth  of  South  India  are  here  presented  with 
Bible  truth  by  men  who  are  themselves  deeply 
imbued  with  the  spirit  of  truth;  and  thus  this 
college  is  a  centre  whence  Christian  enlighten- 
ment is  spreading,  surely  and  steadily,  not  only 
in  the  city  of  Madras,  but  in  all  the  Presidency. 


43 


SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

MADRAS.     FEMALE  WORK. 

We  have  had  two  or  three  good  mornings' 
work  in  seeing  the  girls'  schools  connected  with 
our  own  mission.  I  am  sorry  we  have  had  time 
for  hardly  any  others.  One  day  our  friend  Mr. 
Rajahgopal  called  for  us  and  took  us  over  those 
in  which  he  has  special  interest,  and  another  day 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bauboo  conducted  us  in  like  man- 
ner over  a  number  which  they  have  ably  superin- 
tended for  many  years.  These  were  all  day- 
schools,  admirably  conducted,  and  both  attractive 
and  interesting. 

Female  education  has  made  very  considerable 
progress  in  Madras.  It  has  had  a  checkered  his- 
tory, like  similar  efforts  in  the  other  Presidencies. 
There  was  a  fight,  of  course,  at  the  commence- 
ment— a  hard  struggle  with  seemingly  insupera- 
ble difficulties,  ups  and  downs,  hopes  and  fears; 
but  with  determination,  energy,  perseverance,  and 
unfailing  faith  the  cause  has  been  fought  by  every 
missionary  who  successively  settled  in  the  coun- 
try. The  early  Danish  missionaries  tried  to  es- 
tablish schools  for  girls,  and  every  society  which 


MADRAS. 


FEMALE  WORK. 


43 


came  after  them  followed  their  example  and  did 
its  best.  Some  brave  and  devoted  women,  whose 
names  are  still  remembered  with  veneration,  suc- 
ceeded, after  many  self-denying  efforts,  in  estab- 
lishing orphanages  and  a  few  small  day-schools. 
But  their  experience  was  the  same  as  that  of  all 
the  early  workers  in  the  same  cause:  they  could 
only  manage  to  reach  the  very  lowest  of  the  peo- 
ple. A  few  orphans  were  gathered  in  and  some 
poor  children  of  the  lowest  castes;  and  this  was  so 
far  a  happy  commencement  and  answered  its  own 
important  end;  but  the  great  Hindoo  community 
remained  utterly  untouched.  It  was  reserved  for 
three  Scottish  missionaries — a  singular  triumvi- 
rate of  much -honored  men,  Messrs.  Anderson, 
Johnstone,  and  Braidwood — to  succeed  and  estab- 
lish what  we  may  really  call  female  education  iu 
this  part  of  India.  They  had  successfully  intro- 
duced high-class  English  education  for  the  men, 
and  now,  with  immense  difficulty,  by  very  slow 
degrees,  and  by  God's  blessing  and  help,  they  ac- 
complished the  same  for  the  women. 

It  was  in  1843  '^^t  Mrs.  Braidwood  managed 
to  get  in  the  thin  end  of  the  wedge  by  gathering 
a  few  good-caste  girls  into  what  is  still  called  the 
"Madras  Girls'  Day-school."  Graphic  pictures 
are  often  given  on  the  spot  of  the  way  she  toiled 
and  struggled,  and  how  the  gentlemen  aided  by 


44  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA, 

bringing  their  influence  to  bear  on  the  young  hus- 
bands and  brothers  who  were  being  taught  in  the 
Institution  or  English  School.  Indeed,  without 
the  cooperation  of  these  educated  young  men  the 
work  could  never  have  been  done.  She  added 
tlie  inducement  of  liberal  presents,  both  in  money 
and  dress,  and  so  the  end  was  achieved,  and  she 
had  the  joy  of  seeing  a  few  gathered  in  to  receive 
the  merest  elements  of  education,  of  course  in 
their  mother-tongue.  Mrs.  Anderson  joined  the 
mission  soon  after  and  threw  herself  heart  and 
soul  into  the  grand  work.  It  is  delightful  to 
think  that  this  excellent  lady  is  still  in  the  field, 
and  with  plenty  of  freshness  and  vigor.  She  is 
now  watching  over  her  spiritual  children  and 
children's  children  in  the  native  church,  and  she 
is  a  mother  in  Israel  to  the  whole  community.  It 
was  a  great  pleasure  indeed  to  meet  her  again. 

So  the  great  question  was  practically  settled. 
Female  education,  once  fairly  started,  went  stead- 
ily on.  The  prejudice  of  ages  began  to  give  way; 
and  no  one  can  doubt  that  the  movement  thus 
commenced  will  eventually  work  a  great  social 
and  religious  revolution  in  the  condition  of  the 
people. 

But  in  1847  a  check  was  experienced  from  the 
very  success  of  the  work.  Five  of  the  pupils  be- 
came Christians  and  were  baptised.    This  created 


MADRAS.     FEMALE  WORK. 


45 


a  panic,  and  the  school  was  emptied  for  a  time. 
The  five  girls  took  refuge  in  the  mission-house; 
but  a  home  was  needed  for  them,  and  for  others 
who,  through  God's  blessing  on  the  Scriptural 
teaching,  might  happily  follow  their  example. 
This  resulted  in  the  formation  of  the  boarding- 
school,  which  was  thus  begun  as  an  asylum  and 
school  for  Christian  girls,  and  has  ever  since  been 
as  a  nursery  for  Christ  in  the  mission.  The  day- 
school,  the  first,  as  I  said,  for  caste  girls  ever 
opened  in  the  city,  soon  recovered  from  the  shock 
it  had  received  by  reason  of  the  baptisms.  It  was 
soon  as  full  as  ever.  Other  schools  were  opened 
in  other  parts,  and  now  there  are  twelve  such 
day-schools  in  connection  with  the  Free  Church, 
having  an  aggregate  attendance  of  over  1,400. 
Altogether,  counting  also  the  pupils  in  the  zena- 
nas, those  in  poor  and  ragged  schools,  those  in  the 
Boarding-school  for  Christian  Girls,  and  the  stu- 
dents in  the  Normal  School,  we  have  the  large 
number  of  1,800  females  under  Christian  instruc- 
tion. 

Other  agencies  also  are  at  work,  such  as  zena- 
na-teaching, Sunday-schools,  and  Bible-women's 
work.  The  people  generally  arc  eager  for  educa- 
tion; the  women  want  it  for  themselves,  and  the 
men  want  it  for  their  wives  and  daughters.  Thus 
the  little  seed  planted  with  so  many  tears,  but 


46 


SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


with  patience  and  faith  and  prayer,  forty  years 
ago  has  grown  into  a  goodly  tree,  which — who 
can  doubt  ? — will  one  day  fill  the  land.  One 
thing  which  has  struck  us  in  visiting  the  schools 
is  that  the  buildings  and  class-rooms  are  so  suita- 
ble and  good.  I  confess  I  covet  similar  ones  for 
other  places  not  so  highly  favored. 

Mr.  Rajahgopal's  new  building  for  his  Chetty 
school  is  specially  handsome — a  cool,  convenient, 
spacious  house,  with  verandas,  stone  floors,  green 
blinds,  benches,  and  plenty  of  bright  pictures  on 
the  walls,  including  one  of  Her  Majesty  the 
Queen.  I  only  wish  the  friends  of  the  cause  at 
home  could  see  the  winsome  little  creatures  who 
fill  the  rooms,  so  dainty  and  bedizened,  so  intelli- 
gent too  and  bright,  answering  the  questions  put 
to  them  with  eager  readiness,  their  wonderful 
dark  eyes  fixed  on  your  face  all  the  time  in  a 
way,  to  me,  quite  bewitching.  Their  knowledge 
of  Bible  history  would  have  done  credit  to  any 
Sunday-school  in  Scotland.  They  questioned 
each  other  too  in  an  amusing  way;  and  to  hear 
them  sing  such  hymns  as  "Jesus  loves  me,"  and 
their  own  sweet  Tamil  lyrics,  was  a  delight  not  to 
be  forgotten. 

The  Chetties  are  a  very  good  caste,  though 
lower  than  Brahmans,  and  are  the  merchants  of 
Madras.     Like  other  good  castes  they  keep  en- 


MADRAS. 


FEMALE  WORK. 


47 


tirely  to  themselves  and  do  not  intermarry  with 
any  other. 

They  still  manifest  much  opposition  to  the 
gospel  and  do  not  quite  like  the  Christian  teach- 
ing for  their  girls.  So  they  have  set  up  some  op- 
position schools  in  which  the  education  is  gratis, 
while  we  charge  fees.  Still,  mission  work  among 
them  goes  steadily  on,  making  progress  both 
among  the  children  and  the  women  in  their 
homes.  Some  most  encouraging  incidents  show- 
ing this  were  related  to  me  by  Mr.  Rajahgopal. 
The  Chetties  are  a  very  rich  commimity,  and  the 
amount  of  beautiful  jewels  they  heap  on  their 
children  is  wonderful  to  see. 

Mr.  Rajahgopal  has  a  capital  ragged-school, 
which  was  one  of  the  most  interesting  we  saw. 
He  has  some  250  poor  little  boys  and  girls,  all  of 
them  waifs  or  orphans,  many  of  whom  are  fed  and 
clothed,  and  all  have  more  or  less  education  given 
them.  It  is  very  nice  to  see  them  occupying  de- 
lightful premises  lent  to  Mr.  Rajahgopal  by  Gov- 
ernment, with  excellent  schoolrooms,  a  large  com- 
pound, in  which  there  is  plenty  of  room  to  play 
and  fine  fresh  air.  An  industrial  department  add- 
ed would  be  a  great  boon,  with  trades  for  the  boys 
and  some  simple,  paying  industry  for  the  girls. 

But  what,  I  think,  delighted  me  most  in  all 
that  we  saw  was  Mr.  Bauboo's  Normal  School, 


48 


SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA, 


which  is  one  most  important  part  of  his  work.  I 
cannot  tell  the  interest  with  which  I  looked  at  the 
forty  pupils  and  talked  to  them,  all  well-educated, 
intelligent,  Christian  young  women,  pleasant  and 
bright  in  manner  and  cultivated  in  appearance. 
It  was  most  delightful  to  think  of  the  possibilities 
for  the  future  they  presented  in  increase  of  schools 
and  other  work  for  women ;  for  these  students  are 
pledged  to  become  teachers,  and  as  soon  as  they 
are  ready  they  are  drafted  into  work  of  some  sort. 
From  the  boarding-school  also,  and  Dr.  Elder's 
schools  and  Mr.  Rajahgopal's,  pupils  have  passed 
the  Government  teachers'  examinations,  and  it  is 
one  of  the  most  hopeful  features  of  the  work  that 
most  of  the  teachers  in  the  day-schools  are  well- 
trained  native  Christian  women. 

A  great  quantity  of  pretty  needlework  was  dis- 
played in  every  school,  and  the  children  and  their 
mothers  like  it  and  are  proud  of  their  achieve- 
ments in  the  way  of  rugs,  cushions,  slippers,  and 
smokiug-caps.  They  are  also  fond  of  their  little 
hymns  and  sing  them  with  might  and  main,  both 
in  school  and  in  their  homes. 

Of  course,  Bible-teaching  is  the  chief  feature 
in  every  kind  of  school,  but  all  the  instruction  is 
first-rate.  There  is  a  Government  inspectress  to 
see  that  the  work  is  thorough  and  up  to  the  pre- 
scribed standards,  and  grants  in  aid  are  provided 


MADRAS.     FEMALE  WORK. 


49 


by  Government.  In  one  point,  I  am  sorry  to  say, 
Madras  is  just  as  much  behind  as  other  places. 
Girls  are  not  allowed  to  remain  in  school  after 
they  are  married,  and  early  marriage  is,  unhappi- 
ly, as  much  the  rule  now  as  it  has  been  for  ages. 
You  hardly  see  a  pupil  in  the  classes  over  thir- 
teen, and  most  of  the  children  are  under  ten. 
Zenana-visiting,  then,  is  as  important  here  as 
elsewhere,  in  order  that  the  girls  after  they  are 
betrothed  may  be  followed  to  their  homes,  and 
their  education,  only  commenced  in  school,  may 
be  carried  on  and  completed.  There  is  this  hap- 
py difference  between  the  women  of  Madras  and 
their  sisters  in  Bengal:  they  are  not  so  much  shut 
up,  their  houses  are  not  so  like  prisons.  I  fancy 
that  the  Mohammedan  conquest  did  not  influence 
the  South  so  much  as  other  parts  of  India,  and 
consequently  did  not  revolutionize  society  by  in- 
troducing Mohammedan  customs,  preeminently 
those  affecting  the  treatment  of  women.  But  in 
character  the  women  are  all  much  alike.  They 
ask  the  same  foolish  questions  here  about  your 
children  and  husband,  and  your  motives  for  com- 
ing to  India,  and  especially  why  you  visit  them. 
It  seems  hard  for  tlicm  to  believe  that  the  only 
reason  is  to  try  and  do  them  good. 

It  ought  to  be  confessed  that  zenana-visiting 
is  often  trying  and  disappointing.    Thus,  on  a  lit- 

bceuon  lu  Suuttiern  ludU.  A 


50 


SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


tie  tour  to-day,  accompanying  Miss  Oxley,  of  the 
Church  of  England  Zenana  Society,  we  visited  in 
the  house  of  a  Persian  gentleman  whose  ladies 
kept  us  waiting  and  then  appeared  in  fine  English 
clothes,  put  on,  I  suppose,  in  honor  of  our  visit. 
The  dresses  were  made  in  the  xery  height  of  Paris 
fashion,  of  rose-colored  and  pale  blue  silk !  But 
with  their  rich  olive  complexion  and  generally 
Oriental  style  they  did  not  look  quite  so  ridicu- 
lous as  )-ou  would  suppose.  They  would  talk  of 
nothing  but  clothes  and  wanted  to  examine  every 
article  we  had  on.  This  is  the  sort  of  thing  which 
tries  the  zenana  visitor.  However,  there  was  a 
strong  redeeming  point  in  two  bright,  intelligent 
young  girls,  very  fair  and  pretty,  who  are  Miss 
Oxley's  pupils,  and  full  of  interest  in  what 
they  read  and  desire  to  learn.  They  seemed 
rather  ashamed  of  their  gay,  talkative  elder  rela- 
tives. 

Let  us,  then,  sympathize  with  our  dear  zenana 
missionaries  and  help  them  with  our  prayers, 
thanking  God  always  because  these  sad  homes 
have  been  penetrated,  and  because  we  know  that 
there  are  not  a  few  within  their  walls  who  have 
learned  to  know  and  love  Christ  through  the  loving 
labors  of  the  missionaries.  These  are  of  Christ's 
"hidden  ones,"  and,  though  not  known  to  the 
world,  they  are  known  to  Him.    Ah  !  they  some- 


MADRAS.     FEMALE  WORK. 


51 


times  ask  questions  very  different  from  those  I 
have  alluded  to.  They  gaze  at  you  with  those 
large,  liquid  eyes,  which  look  as  if  the  fountain 
of  their  tears  was  very  close,  and  ask,  "Why  are 
we  so  different  from  you  ?  Could  we  not  enjoy 
the  world  and  be  free  like  you?"  They  are  in- 
deed more  to  be  pitied  now  than  ever.  Why? 
Because  a  glimmering  of  light  has  penetrated 
the  darkness  of  these  homes;  they  see  their 
bonds.  Formerly  they  did  not  know  they  were 
bound.  Now  they  do;  and  they  have  a  suspi- 
cion that  a  better  fate  might  be  theirs.  The 
fair  world  outside  they  too  might  enjoy;  there  is 
a  position  they  might  attain  to — a  Father  above 
who  might  be  theirs  as  well  as  ours.  "You  are 
like  that  dove,"  said  one  young  woman  to  me, 
pointing  to  a  bird  on  the  wing.  "  You  are  like 
the  bird  soaring  to  heaven:  we  are  like  that  same 
bird  caught,  its  wings  clipped,  and  shut  up  in  a 
cage  too  narrow  to  hold  it." 

Mrs.  Rae  and  I  had  nearly  experienced  one  of 
those  little  misadventures  this  morning  to  which 
one  is  prone  in  a  "city  of  magnificent  distances," 
as  I  said  Madras  is.  We  set  out  at  eleven  in  a 
"bandy."  Let  me  explain  that  a  bandy  is  the 
cab  of  Madras,  a  narrow,  oblong  l)ox  set  on  four 
little  wheels  with  high,  hard  scats,  a  well  to  con- 
tain your  feet,  and  Venetian  windows,  which  will 


52  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


neither  let  down  nor  go  up.  It  rattles  loudly, 
and  is  drawn  by  a  lean  and  hungry-looking  horse, 
which  is  made  to  go  spasmodically  by  the  long 
handle  of  the  whip  continually  applied  to  his 
flanks.  The  half-clad,  keen-witted  driver  is 
perched  aloft  on  the  roof. 

We  drove  for  many  miles  through  fiery  heat 
and  blinding  glare  and  dust  to  call  on  a  lady  I 
particularly  wanted  to  see.  When  we  drew  up 
at  length  below  the  porch  of  a  splendid  mansion, 
a  small  box  was  handed  to  us  by  "the  boy"  at 
the  door,  a  scarlet-robed,  white-bearded  official 
with  a  belt  across  his  breast.  The  box  had  a  slit 
in  the  top,  like  a  child's  missionary  box,  and  the 
words  "Not  at  home"  faced  us  in  big,  porten- 
tous letters. 

In  answer  to  our  remonstrances  the  civil 
"boy"  assured  us  that  madame  was  out.  We 
deposited  our  cards  in  the  slit,  but  were  hardly  at 
the  gate  when  the  man  came  shouting  after  us. 
Madame,  after  all,  was  at  home,  and  would  like 
to  see  us.  Most  pleasant  it  was  to  exchange  the 
hot,  dusty  bandy  for  the  cool,  shady,  pretty  draw- 
ing-room and  have  the  talk  we  wanted  with  the 
agreeable,  lady-like  woman  who  welcomed  us 
witli  great  cordiality  and  warmth. 

On  our  return  my  husband  joined  us,  and  we 
looked  in  at  the  Government  Normal  School, 


PLOUOHING, 


MADRAS.     FEMALE  WORK. 


53 


superintended  by  Miss  Rajahgopal,  where  Euro- 
peans and  East  Indians  are  trained.  We  were 
specially  pleased  with  the  preparatory  school  in 
connection  with  it,  in  which  there  is  a  charming 
infant  department,  conducted  on  the  Kindergar- 
ten system.  Here  we  saw  groups  of  happy  little 
bright  creatures  busy  playing  at  learning.  This 
is  all  carried  on  by  the  Normal  pupils,  who  are 
thus  taught  to  teach  after  the  best  and  brightest 
and  most  sensible  plan. 

It  is  curious  how  much  more  English  is  talked 
in  Madras  than  either  in  Bombay  or  Calcutta. 
You  hear  it  everj'where.  Not  only  do  the  ser- 
vants address  you  in  tolerably  good  English,  but 
the  poor  bandy  men,  and  even  the  coolies  on  the 
street,  seem  to  know  a  smattering.  It  is  often  an 
odd  jumble  as  to  idiom,  but  not  the  monstrosity 
that  "pigeon  English  "  is  in  China.  This  preva- 
lence of  our  own  language  is  a  great  comfort  to 
strangers  like  ourselves,  to  whom  the  unknown 
tongues  of  the  South  are  a  perplexity  and  a  draw- 
back. For  once  we  have  the  sorrow  of  being 
unable  to  speak  to  the  people  of  India  in  their 
own  tongue.  Hindostani  is  a  sort  of  lingua 
franca^  which  carries  one  almost  anywhere  else; 
but  it  is  of  little  use  in  Madras. 

Tamil  is  the  chief  language  of  the  people 
here;  but  there  are  four  or  five  Southern  tongues 


54 


SCEXES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


which  are  as  closely  allied  to  each  other  as  the 
languages  of  Southern  Europe.  These  belong  to 
the  Dravidian  dialects,  which  of  course  diflfer  en- 
tirely from  Marathi  or  Hindi  or  any  which  come 
mainly  from  the  Sanscrit,  though  my  husband 
says  Sans(;rit  words  are  freely  introduced  into 
them.  Of  these  languages  Tamil  seems  to  be  the 
most  cultivated,  though  it  sounds  to  the  ear  harsh 
and  unpleasant,  the  words  running  into  each  other 
in  a  sort  of  rippling  stream,  instead  of  distinct 
utterance.  Tamil  has  a  literature  of  no  small 
antiquity.  There  is,  for  example,  a  great  ethical 
poem  in  it  called  "  Kural,"  the  work  of  Tiruvalla- 
var,  who  is  as  great  a  man  among  the  Tamil  peo- 
ple, as  much  revered,  as  the  poet  Tukaram  is 
among  the  ^larathas.  In  regard  to  race,  the 
Hindoo  element  is  comparatively  small  in  the 
populations  of  the  South.  The  Hindoo  religion, 
on  the  contrary,  has  penetrated  to  a  large  extent, 
though,  on  the  other  hand,  it  has  itself  been  pow- 
erfully affected  by  the  demonology  of  the  Dravi- 
dian races. 

Soon  after  the  sun  rose  this  morning  we  drove 
over  to  the  Free  Church  mission-house,  where 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stevenson  reside,  and  spent  the 
cool  early  hours  in  wandering  over  the  beautiful 
garden  and  compound  with  Mr.  Stevenson,  who 
is  the  secretary  of  the  mission.    We  afterwards 


MADRAS.     FEMALE  WORK.  55 

breakfasted  with  the  family  and  met  some  pleas- 
ant friends.  Here  we  had  the  pleasure  of  making 
Miss  Cross'  acquaintance,  a  lady  who  came  out  to 
see  miss-ion  work  in  the  schools  and  among  the 
women,  and  has  had  her  heart  so  stirred  by  its 
needs  and  its  absorbing  interest  that  she  has 
stayed  to  take  part  in  it.  Would  that  many  more 
of  our  good  Christian  ladies  at  home,  who  are 
without  any  great  object  to  fill  their  lives,  would 
come  and  do  likewise !  She  goes  daily  to  the 
girls'  schools  with  Mr.  or  Mrs.  Bauboo,  and  is 
already  attracting  the  children  to  her  and  doing 
good  service  among  them. 

In  the  afternoon  Mrs.  Rae  drove  me  to  the 
European  Orphan  Asylum — a  large,  commodious 
building  standing  in  extensive,  park-like  grounds, 
with  lovely  greensward  and  a  wealth  of  splendid 
trees.  It  was  the  day  of  the  annual  fzte  and 
prize-giving,  and  it  was  a  great  pleasure  to  see 
the  little  white  boys  and  girls,  children  of  our 
own  country-people,  so  well  cared  for  and  so  hap- 
py. A  band  was  playing  in  the  centre  of  the 
garden,  and  plenty  of  flags  floated  gayly  every- 
where; merry-go-rounds  and  games  were  in  full 
swing;  Christmas-trees  stood  on  open  green  spots 
loaded  with  pretty  presents;  the  relatives  of  the 
children  and  many  visitors  were  roaming  about, 
or  regaling  themselves  with  tea  or  ices  under  the 


56 


SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


trees,  while  the  rich  soft  lights  of  the  tropical  even- 
ing streamed  through  the  high-arching  boughs, 
glinted  across  the  sward,  and  sent  a  golden  gleam 
over  the  whole  scene.  We  also  roamed  about, 
talked  to  many  friends,  had  some  tea,  and  greatly 
enjoyed  the  cool  evening  air  and  pretty,  gay, 
cheery  scene. 

February  2. 

Another  of  these  little  school  fetes  has  taken 
place,  and  I  had  a  very  special  and  delightful  in- 
terest in  it.  It  was  the  annual  exhibition  of  the 
high-caste  girls'  day-schools  connected  with  our 
own  mission;  and  through  the  kindness  of  Mr. 
Stevenson,  the  secretary,  and  Mr.  Bauboo,  the 
superintendent,  I  had  the  honor  of  being  invited 
to  give  away  the  prizes.  I  need  not  say  what  a 
pleasure  this  was  to  me.  The  pretty /c/^^  was  held 
in  the  school  in  Black  Town,  which  was  originally 
founded  by  Mrs.  Braidwood;  and  when  the  event- 
ful day  came  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rae  drove  us  to  the 
place.  It  is  a  large  good  house,  standing  in  a 
garden  which  is  full  of  green  loveliness  from  the 
kind  gifts  of  a  native  gentleman,  who  is  a  lover 
of  flowers,  and  happily  also  a  lover  of  children. 
I  think  it  was  the  same  friend  who  presented  a 
little  fountain  to  the  school,  which  was  now  play- 
ing, throwing  sparkling  jets  of  water  over  a  mass 
of  lovely  ferns  in  pots  prettily  grouped  about  the 


MADRAS.     FEMALE  WORK.  57 

base.  Flags  were  flying,  picturesque  crowds 
were  standing  about  as  the  carriage  drove  up, 
and  the  whole  place  looked  festal. 

As  we  entered  the  large  upper  hall  where  the 
distribution  was  to  take  place  the  scene  was  sin- 
gularly striking  and  pretty.  The  upper  end  of 
the  room  was  filled  with  visitors;  and  I  observed 
many  native  gentlemen  present  with  the  dark, 
strong,  good  Madrassee  face,  surmounted  by  a 
huge  turban.  Facing  the  door  there  was  a  love- 
ly erection,  a  sort  of  canopy  supported  by  tiny 
columns,  which  were  all  wreathed  over  with  ex- 
quisite fronds  of  delicate  and  rare  ferns.  Below 
the  canopy  was  a  table  loaded  with  the  beautiful 
prizes,  and  chairs  for  those  who  were  to  have  the 
honor  of  being  the  principal  actors  in  the  day's 
proceedings. 

But  the  grand  attraction  was  at  the  lower  end 
of  the  hall,  which  was  filled  with  a  glittering 
and  most  fascinating  crowd  of  small  creatures, 
bespangled  and  bejewelled  to  an  extraordinary 
degree.  The  young  women  of  the  Normal  class, 
the  Christian  teachers,  and  the  bigger  girls,  all 
in  their  pretty,  simple  costumes,  were  ranged 
behind  and  made  a  most  effective  background, 
while  the  throng  of  little  ones,  packed  closely  in 
front,  looked  one  gorgeous  mass  of  jewels  and 
flowers  and  fine  clothes.    You  could  hardly  see 


58  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 

the  sweet  little  brown  faces  for  the  fringes  of  gold 
and  silver  which  hung  across  the  foreheads  and 
the  flowers  which  decked  almost  every  head ; 
while  the  armlets  and  anklets  and  bracelets  and 
necklaces  and  nose-rings  and  toe-rings  and  ear- 
rings, and  all  the  amazing  things  they  wore, 
would  make  a  list  far  too  long  to  number.  Some 
could  hardly  walk,  for  the  weight  of  their  finery, 
when  they  came  up  to  get  their  prizes. 

These  were  very  handsome  indeed,  and  the 
curious  thing  was  that  they  were  all  gifts  from 
non-Christian  Hindoo  gentlemen,  friends  of  the 
Bauboos,  and,  I  may  well  add,  friends  of  the 
schools.  The  prizes  included  three  lovely  gold 
medals  and  one  or  two  of  silver.  The  medals 
had  been  struck  in  Scotland,  one  side  bearing  an 
inscription  and  the  name  of  the  successful  com- 
petitor, and  on  the  reverse  a  representation  of  tlie 
Burning  Bush,  with  the  usual  legend  round  it: 
nec  tamen  consumebatur ! 

The  proceedings  were  what  are  customary  on 
such  occasions.  The  singing  was  frequent  and 
specially  beautiful.  An  encouraging  and  very 
interesting  report  was  read  by  the  superintendent, 
.Mr.  Bauboo;  addresses  were  given  by  Dr.  Mitch- 
ell and  Mr.  Stevenson,  while  I  confess  to  have 
been  very  much  in  my  element  bestowing  the 
beautiful  boxes  and  books  and  toys  on  the  happy 


MADRAS.     FEMALE  WORK.  59 

children  and  fastening  the  medals  round  their 
necks  with  ribbon  as  true  blue  as  the  decorations 
themselves. 

When  all  was  over  a  dear  little  mite  of  a 
child  came  toddling  up  to  me  for  a  doll.  She 
was  a  most  quaint  little  figure,  arrayed  in  a  stiff 
white  muslin  skirt,  bordered  with  gold,  which 
reached  to  her  pretty  little  feet.  But  it  was  gath- 
ered in  so  full  beneath  her  broad  waistband  of 
silver  that  when  I  took  her  on  my  lap  the  whole 
thing  stood  out  like  a  frill.  So  we  placed  her 
standing  on  a  chair,  and,  with  her  little  hands 
clasped  together,  she  said  a  hymn  in  the  prettiest 
way.  It  was  quite  touching  to  hear  her;  and 
then  she  repeated,  "Suffer  little  children  to  come 
unto  Me,"  in  Tamil.  This  was  the  child  of 
heathen  parents !  If  we  could  only  have  pulled 
the  finery  off  she  would  have  looked  like  a  little 
bronze  cherub. 

In  his  report  Mr.  Bauboo  had  told  us  of  the 
examinations  which  had  been  conducted  previ- 
ously and  quoted  some  very  laudatory  remarks 
from  the  reports  of  the  different  examiners.  Al- 
together the  condition  of  the  schools,  as  to  num- 
bers and  attendance,  the  amount  of  fees  paid,  and 
the  attainments  of  the  scholars,  seemed  to  be 
highly  satisfactory  to  their  excellent  superinten- 
dents, to  the  parents — that  is,  the  fathers,  for  of 


6o  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 

course  the  mothers  were  not  present — to  the  mis- 
sionaries, and  to  us  all. 

There  are  two  flourishing  Sabbath-schools  in 
connection  with  these  caste-girls'  schools,  and 
though  the  attendance  is  not  compulsory,  yet 
many  of  the  pupils  do  attend.  Of  course  the  in- 
struction is  entirely  religious,  and  more  than 
this,  these  little  Hindoo  children  bring  voluntary 
offerings  to  put  into  the  missionary  box.  Mrs. 
Bauboo  told  me  that  from  these  offerings  they 
had  last  year  given  contributions  to  the  Tract 
Society,  to  Dr.  Elder's  Medical  Mission,  and  a 
good  sum  (I  forget  how  much)  to  support  a  Bible- 
woman,  who  was  to  work  in  connection  with  the 
mission  in  the  Petiah  where  the  schools  are.  Is 
not  this  a  most  cheering  and  uncommon  fact  in 
connection  with  a  school  composed  entirely  of 
heathen  children?  There  are  also  two  hundred 
and  fifty  of  these  volunteer  Sunday  scholars  who 
would  not  lose  the  lesson  on  any  account.  On 
one  occasion,  when  their  teacher  could  not  ven- 
ture to  go  at  the  hour  because  of  a  tremendous 
thunder-storm,  on  arriving  somewhat  late  she 
found  several  little  creatures  assembled  notwith- 
standing the  nature  of  the  weather.  The  eldest 
had  given  out  a  hymn  and  they  were  singing  it 
when  she  came  in. 


CHINGLEPUT. 


6l 


CHAPTER  V. 

CHINGLEPUT. 

February  4. 

We  are  sitting  in  a  large,  cool,  airy  chamber, 
opening  off  a  shady  veranda,  in  the  midst  of  pro- 
found and  most  restful  quiet;  truly  a  great  con- 
trast to  the  racket  and  roar  and  heat  and  bustle 
of  the  great  city. 

Chingleput  is  one  of  the  branch  stations  of 
our  mission  in  Madras;  there  are  others  also  quite 
as  interesting,  but,  alas!  our  time  only  allows  of 
a  visit  to  this  one.  The  missionaries  are  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Andrew,  who  were  sent  forth  from  Glasgow 
some  two  or  three  years  ago,  and  we  have  come 
to-day  that  we  may  have  the  joy  of  spending  to- 
morrow with  them  and  seeing  their  Sabbath 
work.  On  the  previous  Sabbath  Dr.  Mitchell 
had  preached  in  Madras — in  the  Free  church,  in 
the  Tamil  church,  and  also  in  the  church  con- 
nected with  Dr.  Elder's  important  medical  work, 
giving  sundry  lectures  besides  during  the  week. 

Wc  started  about  seven.  It  was  one  of  those 
warm,  cloudy  mornings  so  frequent  here  when 
it  is  hard  even  to  breathe,  there  being  nothing 
bright  or  clastic  in  the  heavy  air. 


62 


SCENES  IX  SOUTHERX  INDIA. 


Near  Madras  the  country  is  generally  flat, 
though  green,  with  some  fine  wood.  There  is  a 
distant  background  of  mountains,  however,  with 
one  or  two  low,  isolated  hills  in  the  neighborhood 
of  the  city.  One  of  these  is  St.  Thomas'  Mount, 
so  called  from  the  tradition,  preserved  especially 
among  the  Syrian  Christians,  of  St.  Thomas' 
visit  to  this  place.  There  is  an  old  church,  I  be- 
lieve, on  the  summit,  which  is  held  in  reverence 
still  among  the  Syrians  and  Portuguese.  As  you 
approach  Chingleput  the  character  of  the  scenery 
changes,  though  it  is  only  two  hours  by  train 
from  Madras ;  there  are  some  low,  undulating 
hills,  green  and  picturesque,  and  it  seems  to  be  a 
beautiful  little  place. 

Mr.  Andrew  met  us  and  we  drove  hither  in  a 
bandy  clothed  in  a  thick  white  quilted  cover, 
which  was  most  kindly  sent  to  fetch  us  by  the 
station  judge.  These  white  draperies  give  the 
carriages  rather  a  droll  look,  but  they  are  a  fa- 
mous protection  to  the  occupants  from  the  fierce 
rays  of  the  tyrant  sun.  The  horses  also  are  often 
decorated,  in  this  case  with  sola  topees,  or  sun 
hats,  a  most  benevolent  arrangement,  though  hav- 
ing a  particularly  odd  effect.  We  drove  through 
a  long,  clean  bazar,  called  the  Brahman  street, 
for  in  this  caste -ridden  Presidency  no  one  of 
lower  caste  may  live  in  the  quarter  sacred  to  these 


CHINGLEPUT. 


63 


"gods  on  earth,"  as  the  Brahmans  call  them- 
selves. Brahmanical  influence  is  exceedingly 
strong  here,  and  caste  rules  with  a  rod  of  iron. 
The  Brahmans  try  to  keep  every  post  in  their 
own  hands,  and  the  Sudras  and  lower  castes  do 
not  get  a  chance  if  they  can  help  it.  It  is  still 
true  in  many  places  that  a  Pariah  must  not  only 
not  touch  the  sacred  person  of  a  Brahman,  but  he 
must  not  come  within  such  range  that  there  can 
be  the  possibility  of  his  shadow  falling  on  the 
holy  man  or  on  the  path  he  treads!  I  have  often 
seen  a  low-caste  man  get  out  of  the  way,  go  up  a 
bank,  and  even  get  behind  a  hedge,  imtil  a  Brah- 
man has  gone  on  his  way.  .Such  is  the  fearful 
-tyranny  which  this  extraordinary  law  of  caste 
still  exercises  over  this  fair  land,  with  all  its  an- 
cient boasted  civilization  and  its  modern  educa- 
tion and  enlightenment!  Nowhere,  I  believe,  is 
caste  feeling  stronger  than  in  the  South;  nowhere 
does  it  bind  the  people  more  inexorably  in  its 
cruel  fetters,  which  nothing  can  break  but  the 
God-sent  religion  of  Jesus  Christ,  which  makes 
all  men  brethren. 

Christianity  is  making  way,  but  least  among 
these  proud  Brahmans,  to  whom  the  preachiug 
of  its  doctrines  is  as  yet  "foolishness."  I  do 
not  thiuk  we  have  seen  in  other  parts  of  India 
that  the  Brahmans  live  entirely  in  streets  by 


64  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 

themselves,  aloof  from  all  the  rest  of  the  popula- 
tion. 

Passing  from  the  native  town  we  turned  into 
this  pretty  compound,  where  there  are  some  fine 
trees,  underneath  which  the  grass  is  almost  as 
green  as  on  an  English  lawn.  We  stopped  at  the 
long,  low  bungalow  with  its  deep  veranda,  which 
is  prettily  embellished  with  creepers  and  plants 
and  flowers  in  pots. 

Now  there  is  not  a  sound  but  the  song  of  birds 
or  the  chirrup  of  the  merry  little  squirrels  as  they 
gambol  beneath  the  eaves,  or  the  caw  of  the  ever- 
present  son  of  the  soil,  the  crow,  or  an  occasional 
cry  from  poor  little  Jacko,  a  tiny  monkey  who  sits 
on  a  perch  outside,  whom  I  at  once  propitiated  by 
an  offering  of  plantains.  It  is  all  very  rural  and 
sweet  and  much  cooler  than  Madras.  The  single 
note  of  a  small,  scarlet-breasted  bird,  called  by  the 
natives  in  the  Maratha  country  sahmki^  now  fills 
the  still  air  and  is  delicious  in  its  plaintive  sweet- 
ness. My  husband  tells  me  this  dear  little  bird  is 
mentioned  by  the  great  Marathi  poet  Tukaram 
in  lines  something  like  this: 

When  the  sweet  salunki 
Iler  clear  note  outjionrcth 
God  gives,  as  she  soareth, 
All  the  rapture. 

After  breakfast  the  servants  and  some  other 


CHINGLEPUT. 


65 


people  came  trooping  in  to  prayers,  which  Mr. 
Andrew  conducted  in  Tamil.  They  sat  cross- 
legged  on  the  floor,  having  first  reverently  re- 
moved their  turbans.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Andrew  just 
now  are  having  some  hours'  hard  work  at  the  lan- 
guage, which  they  are  studying  with  great  dili- 
gence and  success. 

In  the  afternoon  Mrs.  Andrew  took  me  out  in 
her  little  pony-carriage  to  show  me  the  place 
where  their  lot  is  cast  as  ambassadors  for  Christ 
among  the  heathen.  The  native  town  is  excep- 
tionally clean  and  tidy  and  tolerably  prosperous- 
looking.  The  diflferent  castes  seem  to  inhabit 
different  streets.  We  saw  only  the  outside  of  the 
mission  buildings  now,  and  then  went  the  "Five- 
mile  Round,"  which  is  a  beautiful  drive  over  un- 
dulating downs,  by  a  succession  of  low  hills,  at 
once  rocky  and  green.  There  is  plenty  of  water 
visible,  the  countr>-  is  well  cultivated  and  ir- 
rigated, and  the  tiny  rice -fields  looked  very 
pretty,  filled  with  the  tender  green  of  the  young 
plant. 

We  got  back  to  the  Institution  or  English 
school  just  in  time  for  a  lecture  which  Dr.  Mitch- 
ell gave  on  Japan  and  China.  There  was  an  ex- 
cellent audience,  composed  entirely  of  men,  ex- 
cepting two  or  three  English  ladies  who  were 
present.    Mr.  Hope,  the  judge,  was  in  the  chair, 

bC»D««  Id  Soath-rn  Id  lit  C 


66  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 

who  afterwards,  with  his  pleasant  wife,  drove  us 
all  home  to  their  house  to  diuuer,  and  we  spent  a 
most  agreeable  evening. 

Next  day,  being  the  Sabbath,  was  filled  with 
services,  beginning  in  the  early  morning  with  a 
large  Sunday-school  of  over  120  pupils,  all  heath- 
en, and  many  of  them  grown  lads.  Dr.  Mitchell 
gave  them  an  address  on  the  story  of  Nicodemus, 
and  afterwards  put  questions  which  were  readily 
answered,  showing  considerable  Scripture  knowl- 
edge. Tamil  services  followed,  both  in  the  fore- 
noon and  afternoon,  the  congregations  being  com- 
posed of  Tamil  Christians.  Dr.  Mitchell  preached 
through  an  interpreter,  and  a  busy  and  delightful 
day  was  finished  by  his  conducting  the  usual 
English  service  in  the  evening,  which  Mr.  An- 
drew holds  for  the  benefit  of  the  English  residents, 
there  being  no  chaplain  in  the  place. 

What  busy  lives  our  missionaries  lead !  This 
Sunday  at  Chingleput,  so  filled  with  work,  is  a 
type  of  many  Sundays  we  have  spent  in  the  mis- 
sion stations  which  it  has  been  our  great  privilege 
in  our  wanderings  to  visit.  Both  on  Sundays  and 
week-days  an  amount  of  hard,  anxious,  harassing 
work  has  to  be  got  throtigh  which  would  astonish 
those  who  neither  know  nor  care,  and  which 
ought  to  call  forth  deep  consideration  and  sympa- 
thy towards  the  missionaries  personally,  as  well  as 


CHINGLEPUT. 


67 


earnest  prayer  that  they  may  be  strengthened  in 
body  and  mind  and  upheld  in  this  work,  which 
seems  to  me  so  exceptionally  arduous. 

Next  morning  we  were  again  early  astir.  Life 
begins  betimes  in  India,  at  least  with  those  who 
care  to  utilize  the  cool,  fresh,  delicious  morning 
hours.  The  gentlemen,  accompanied  by  two 
evangelists,  "went  forth  to  sow."  They  went 
boldly  to  the  Brahmans'  quarters  first  and  were  at 
least  civilly  received.  My  husband  found  a  priest 
who  knew  Marathi,  with  whom  he  had  much 
deeply  interesting  conversation,  and  left  some  lit- 
tle books  with  him.  The  evangelists  everywhere 
always  begin  with  singing,  which  at  once  attracts 
a  gathering.  The  people  are  very  fond  of  hymns 
and  lyrics  and  gather  in  crowds  to  listen.  The 
preaching  follows,  and,  happily,  here  there  does 
not  seem  to  be  much  active  opposition.  Many 
seem  now  to  hear  gladly.  But  the  difficulty 
everywhere  is  the  same:  the  people  lack  the  ear- 
nestness or  moral  courage  which  would  lead  them 
to  profess  what  in  their  hearts  they  believe  to  be 
true. 

After  breakfast  we  visited  the  schools,  both  for 
girls  and  boys.  In  the  Institution  we  had  a  most 
lively  time  with  crowds  of  fine,  intelligent,  eager 
lads.  The  building,  which  is  spacious  and  airy 
and  all  on  one  floor,  was  erected  to  commemorate 


68 


SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


an  excellent  man  who  once  was  judge  in  the  sta- 
tion, Mr.  Moreliead,  and  who  had  always  taken 
the  most  cordial  interest  in  missions. 

As  usual,  I  was  greatly  interested  with  the 
groups  of  dainty  little  creatures  that  filled  the 
long,  low,  cool  class-rooms  in  the  girls'  school. 
There  were  over  "lOO  pupils  present,  all  children 
of  good-caste  parents,  and  under  the  charge  of  one 
of  the  nicest  native  Christian  ladies  I  have  met. 
This  was  Mrs.  Zynul-abidene.  Mrs.  Anderson, 
of  Madras,  called  her  "  My  dear  Barbara,"  and  I 
like  best  to  remember  her  thus.  She  is  the  head 
mistress,  and  it  is  easy  to  sec  that  she  does  her 
work  among  the  little  ones  quite  con  amore.  She 
is  the  daughter  of  one  of  Mr.  Anderson's  converts 
and  the  wife  of  another.  It  is  touching  to  meet 
the  traces  and  fruits  of  the  labors  of  the  first 
Scotch  missionaries,  Messrs.  Anderson,  Johnstone, 
and  Braidwood,  everywhere  here.  If  you  find  an 
exceptionally  interesting,  mellowed  old  Christian 
he  is  sure  to  say,  "  I  was  baptized  by  Mr.  Ander- 
son." 

In  the  afternoon  we  took  leave  of  our  kind 
friends  and  returned  to  Madras,  arriving  just  in 
time  for  a  meeting  of  the  Missionary  Conference, 
which  was  held  in  the  Raes'  drawing-room. 
There  was  an  immense  gathering  of  missionaries, 
with  many  other  friends.    Among  them  was  a 


CIIINGLEPUT. 


69 


young  German  lady  we  had  met  before,  who  is 
now  engaged  in  i^enana  work.  She  cheered  us 
much  by  saying  that  words  we  had  spoken  to  her 
in  Nice  years  ago  had  led  her,  by  God's  blessing, 
to  devote  her  life  to  the  women  of  India. 

The  meeting  proved  intensely  interesting. 
After  Mr.  Rae  had  introduced  my  husband  and 
he  had  spoken  a  little,  he  was  well  questioned 
regarding  the  mission  fields  he  had  visited,  es- 
pecially China  and  Japan.  Then  his  turn  came 
to  question,  and  in  reply  many  most  important 
facts  and  opinions  were  brought  out  regarding 
Southern  India  and  the  condition  of  the  work  in 
this  region.  These  were  very  valuable,  from  such 
men  as  Dr.  Scudder  and  Mr.  Noyes,  two  of  the 
oldest  and  most  experienced  of  the  American  mis- 
sionaries, Mr.  Sell  of  the  C.  M.  S.,  Dr.  Chamber- 
lain, Dr.  Elder,  Mr.  Rajahgopal,  Mr.  Satyanad- 
han,  and  many  others. 

Particularly  cheering  was  the  testimony  which 
every  speaker  bore  to  the  decided  rise  there  is  in 
the  condition  of  the  converts,  in  position,  stand- 
ing, intelligence,  and  also  in  the  still  more  im- 
portant matter  of  moral  and  religious  character. 
Unfortunately,  caste  is  not  yet  wholly  rooted 
out  from  some  of  the  native  Christian  communi- 
ties. There  still  .seems  to  be  a  tendency  to  keep 
up  caste  distinctions  socially;  and  the  converts 


70 


SCEN'KS  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


belonging  to  different  castes,  though  at  the  same 
mission,  sometimes  will  not  intermarry,  though  I 
believe  there  is  something  to  be  said  in  excuse  of 
this  reluctance.  The  Roman-catholic  missions 
also  proved  an  interesting  subject  of  discussion. 
All  seemed  to  agree  that,  though  making  way 
somewhat  among  the  heathen,  they  are  decidedly 
not  gaining  from  the  Protestant  missions.  The 
reverse,  indeed,  seems  to  be  the  case.  But  about 
this  we  shall  learn  more  as  we  proceed  southward. 

Our  friend  Mr.  Fordyce,  of  Simla,  journeying 
in  fulfilment  of  his  mission  to  carr}-  gospel  ordi- 
nances to  our  countr)-men  scattered  through  India 
who  are  destitute  of  such,  made  a  rapid  march  to 
meet  us;  and  my  husband  and  he  conferred  all 
day  concerning  the  interests  of  the  important  soci- 
ety at  home  which  Mr.  Fordyce  represents.  Then 
the  outcoming  mail  steamer  arrived — always  an 
exciting  event — bringing  one  or  two  visitors  for 
the  hours  it  remained.  I  paid  some  final  visits 
among  the  zenanas,  saying  many  good-bys;  the 
girls  of  the  boarding-school  clustered  round  me  for 
a  parting  word;  some  of  the  native  Christian  ladies 
came  for  the  same  purpose;  a  good  many  of  the 
most  advanced  pupils  from  the  college  came  over, 
some  from  Mr.  Rae's  Bible-class  —  interesting, 
earnest  young  men,  who  seem  near  the  kingdom; 
all  our  missionaries  and  professors  came;  and  our 


CniNGLEPUT. 


71 


hearts  were  deeply  stirred,  sorrowing  most  that 
many  of  these  kind  faces  we  cannot  hope  to  see 
any  more  on  earth. 

So  our  memorable  visit  came  to  a  close.  As 
we  had  talked  all  day,  we  had  to  work  all  night — 
to  pack,  to  write  letters,  and  be  ready;  for  by  six 
o'clock  next  morning  we  had  bidden  farewell  to 
our  kind  host  and  hostess  and  their  sweet  children 
and  were  en  route  for  the  further  south. 


72 


SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE  EARLY  MISSIONS  TO  INDIA. 

Although  my  object  in  writing  this  little 
account  of  our  missionary  journey  through  part 
of  South  India  is  to  tell  simply  what  we  saw  with 
our  own  eyes,  yet  a  few  words  on  the  past  history 
of  these  most  interesting  mission  fields  may  not 
be  unwelcome  to  make  what  follows  more  com- 
prehensible. A  heart  which  beats  at  all  in  sympa- 
thy with  the  great  cause  of  the  spread  of  Christ's 
kingdom  in  the  world  will  surely  beat  a  little 
faster  at  the  very  mention  of  such  centres  as  Tan- 
jore,  Palamcotta,  Madura,  Nagcrcoil,  and  many 
others  which  have  stood  out  so  conspicuously  in 
the  history  of  missions. 

It  is  now  nearly  two  centuries  since  the  eyes 
of  Protestant  Christendom  began  to  turn  with 
interest  to  the  work  which  was  even  then  making 
a  sure  commencement  in  the  southern  part  of  the 
great  Indian  continent.  The  wide  world  of  heath- 
endom still  lay  in  profound  darkness.  But,  happi- 
ly, there  was  a  Danish  settlement  on  this  coast 
at  the  south,  where  missionaries  were  welcomed 


THE  EARLY  MISSIONS  TO  INDIA. 


73 


and  allowed  to  settle;  and  so,  while  the  rest  oi 
India  was  still  unvisited  by  the  messengers  of 
peace,  the  Madras  Presidency  had  begun  to  hear 
the  glad  tidings  of  salvation.  It  is  well  to  re- 
member  that  missions  began  in  the  south  of  India 
much  sooner  than  in  the  north.  In  Western  In- 
dia their  commencement  was  in  1813 — a  full  cen- 
tury later  than  in  Madras. 

The  first  Protestant  mission  in  India  was  planted 
in  Tranquebar,  and  to  Denmark  belongs  the  honor 
of  having  equipped  and  sent  it  forth.  Not  only 
so;  the  enterprise  owed  its  origin  to  King  Fred- 
erick IV.,  who  commissioned  the  devoted  Prof. 
Franke,  of  Halle,  at  the  suggestion  of  his  court 
preacher.  Dr.  Liitkcns,  to  find  missionaries  to  go 
to  the  heathen  field  in  India.  The  result  was  the 
sending  forth  of  the  very  noble  Zicgcnbalg  and 
his  associate  Plutschau,  and  the  founding  of  the 
Tranquebar  Mission.  This  was  as  far  back  as 
1706 — a  memorable  year  in  the  history  of  Protes- 
tant missions  in  dark,  heathen  India. 

Is  it  not  both  touching  and  suggestive  to  go 
back  to  that  small  beginning  and  think  of  all  it 
meant?  The  little  water  spring,  the  tiny  rill, 
was  to  swell  into  a  goodly  river  of  the  water  of 
life.  It  is  surely  a  grand  spectacle,  these  two 
men  setting  .sail  from  the  distant  West  with  their 
marvellous  message  for  India,  the  message  of 


74 


SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


divine  love — the  hope  of  her  future,  the  charter 
of  her  salvation  ! 

When  these  humble  missionaries  set  foot  upon 
the  strand  the  day-star  rose  on  this  Eastern 
world  and  the  angels  began  to  sing  over  it 
their  joyous  song.  I  wonder  what  the  scoffing 
Brahmans  would  have  thought  or  the  proud 
Mussulmans!  They  little  knew  that,  with  these 
two  simple,  unknown  men,  there  had  landed  on 
their  shores  forces,  moral  and  spiritual,  which 
would  yet  rouse  and  conquer  even  this  land,  so 
slow  to  change,  which  had  slept  so  profound  a 
sleep  during  the  ages,  content  with  its  dreams 
and  philosophies  and  old-world  systems  of  faith. 

Tranquebar  in  1706  was  a  Danish  settlement; 
and  as  the  missionaries  had  come  out  under  the 
protection  of  the  king,  the  local  Government  of 
course  had  to  receive  and  assist  them.  They  ob- 
tained permission  to  build  their  first  church,  which 
was  erected  by  the  seashore  near  the  native  town. 
Schools  soon  followed,  and  Government  ordered 
that  all  the  Protestant  inhabitants  should  send 
their  slaves  to  be  instructed,  as  well  as  that  the 
children  should  be  sent  to  school.  Meanwhile 
the  two  men  studied  the  Tamil  language  diligent- 
ly, and  were  soon  able  to  preach  in  it.  Thus  the 
work  began.  The  next  missionary  who  arrived 
to  join  the  first  two  was  an  able  man  named  Griin- 


THE  EARLY  MISSIONS  TO  INDIA. 


75 


dler.  Then  afterwards  came  Dr.  Schiiltze;  and 
from  time  to  time  many  other  excellent  coadju- 
tors joined  the  mission  band  until,  after  a  few 
years,  there  were  eight  men  laboring  at  once  in 
the  field. 

On  the  5th  of  September,  1707,  though  the 
work  was  still  so  new,  hardly  more  than  a  year 
old,  God  had  so  blessed  the  labors  of  the  first 
two  men  that  they  began  to  gather  in  their 
sheaves.  There  were  nine  adults  baptized  to- 
gether, and  these  formed  tlie  nucleus  of  the  now 
large  and  flourishing  Tamil  church  of  Southern 
India. 

But  we  must  not  forget  that  though  this  ven- 
erable mission  was  established  by  Denmark,  it 
may  be  said  to  have  been  connected  from  the  be- 
ginning with  both  Germany  and  England.  The 
first  missionaries  were  Germans,  and  funds  were 
occasionally  sent  them  from  Germany.  Then, 
from  1709,  Great  Britain  took  the  liveliest  inter- 
est in  the  enterprise,  the  Society  for  Promoting 
Christian  Knowledge  beginning  from  this  time  to 
contribute  steadily  to  its  support.  It  also  sent  the 
mission  a  printing-press  and  a  printer.  Early  in 
his  career  Ziegenbalg  visited  his  own  country  and 
also  England  in  behalf  of  his  mission.  He  re- 
ceived generous  donations,  which  were  a  great 
help  in  the  work.    The  funds  from  Denmark  did 


76  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


not  always  arrive  with  punctuality,  and,  in  times 
of  need,  the  Society  for  Promoting  Christian 
Knowledge  still  further  increased  its  grants. 
Thus  the  struggling,  hard -worked  people  at 
Tranqnebar  were  effectually  helped  and  remem- 
bered. 

Another  English  society,  which  worked  hand 
in  hand  with  the  Society  for  Promoting  Christian 
Knowledge,  sent  them  gifts,  both  of  books  and 
money.  This  was  the  Society  for  the  Propaga- 
tion of  the  Gospel ;  and  by-and-by,  when  the  for- 
mer wished  to  confine  its  operations  more  to  its 
own  proper  sphere,  the  more  directly  missionary 
part  of  its  work  was  handed  over  to  the  Society 
for  the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel.  This  transfer- 
ence was  accomplished  in  1828,  and  from  that 
time  this  society  became  still  more  closely  con- 
nected with  the  Tranqnebar  mission. 

The  first  50  years  saw  much  hard  and  earnest 
work  accomplished.  Ziegenbalg  returned  from 
his  visit  to  Europe  in  behalf  of  his  mission  to  his 
loved  field,  but  did  not  live  many  years  after. 
Much  indeed  had  been  done;  the  tiny  grain  of 
mustard-seed  had  already  begun  to  shoot  out  great 
branches.  Schools  had  been  established,  church- 
es built,  native  pastors  ordained,  a  printing-press 
set  up,  tracts  had  been  written  and  widely  circu- 
lated, and  the  Bible,  both  the  Old  and  New  Tes- 


THE  EARLY  MISSIONS  TO  INDIA. 


77 


taments,  had  been  translated  into  Tamil  and  also 
into  Telugu.  The  blessing  of  God  had  manifest- 
ly rested  on  the  mission,  and  when  these  50  years 
were  accomplished  and  its  jubilee  had  come  the 
converts  numbered  11,000. 

Thus  it  was  that  the  pure  gospel  of  Christ  first 
visited  poor  India,  and  the  lamp  of  truth  then  lit 
in  Tranquebar  has  never  since  become  darkness. 
In  estimating  the  good  these  early  missions  ac- 
complished ought  we  quite  to  forget  the  effect 
their  success  must  have  had  in  stimulating  the 
mission  cause  over  the  world  generally?  The 
stirring  tidings  which  now  and  then  found  their 
way  across  the  sea  of  men  being  turned  from 
devil-worship  and  dark  idolatries  to  serve  the  liv- 
ing and  true  God  must  have  carried  reproach  to 
many  a  faint  as  well  as  careless  heart,  though  en- 
couragement and  hope  to  others  who  had  begun 
to  feel  they  had  a  responsibility  in  this  matter. 
Not  very  long  after  this  time  the  Spirit  of  God 
moved  on  the  face  of  society  at  home  and  there 
was  aroused  in  tlie  Christian  world  a  new  interest 
and  concern  regarding  the  condition  of  the  heath- 
en world.  Carey  went  to  India  in  1793,  and  the 
missionary  ranks  have  never  lacked  able  recruits 
since  then,  nor  money  to  support  them  and  their 
work  nor  the  prayers  of  Christ's  people  for  their 
success. 


78 


SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


This  awakening,  though  it  came  gradually  at 
first,  was  contemporaneous  with  others  relating  to 
matters  in  England,  when  humanity  and  philan- 
thropy began  to  do  their  work.  At  this  time  the 
condition  of  our  prisons  and  asylums  and  slaves 
began  to  be  thought  about  and  the  poor  to  be  con- 
sidered. Grand  institutions  like  the  Religious 
Tract  Society,  the  Bible  Society,  and  others  were 
formed.  In  a  word,  the  highest  interests  of  men 
began  to  be  considered  by  their  fellows,  both  as 
regards  this  world  and  the  next.  Surely  that  lit- 
tle light  kindled  so  wonderfully  in  South  India 
was  as  a  beacon-light  of  hope  to  the  world  ! 

The  way  in  which  the  truth  spread  from  Tran- 
quebar  into  the  neighboring  province  of  Tanjore  is 
very  interesting.  Tanjore  was  then  under  a  native 
raj,  and  the  missionaries  were  not  at  first  allowed 
to  preach  the  new  doctrines  within  its  borders. 
In  God's  wonderful  providence,  however,  a  native 
officer  named  Rajnaiken,  who  had  been  brought 
up  a  Roman-catholic,  had  the  loan  given  him  of 
a  copy  of  the  Gospels  in  Tamil.  He  was  so  moved 
and  interested  with  what  he  found  in  the  wonder- 
ful Book  that  he  began  to  copy  the  whole  on  pal- 
myra leaves.  Soon  after,  hearing  that  there  were 
missionaries  only  50  miles  away,  he  sought  them, 
received  instruction,  and  eventually  joined  their 
church.    Much  opposition  was  made  by  the  Jesu- 


SCHWARTZ, 


THE  EARLY  MISSIONS  TO  INDIA.  79 

its  and  also  by  his  family.  The  latter,  however, 
influenced  and  instructed  by  him,  were  in  time 
one  and  all  converted  and  admitted  into  the 
church.  But  sore  persecution  followed.  At  one 
time  Rajnaiken  was  so  savagely  beaten  that  he 
was  left  for  dead  on  the  ground.  Then  his  father 
was  cruelly  murdered  and  his  brother  half  killed 
from  the  barbarous  treatment  he  received.  But 
the  devoted  converts  firmly  and  bravely  held  on 
their  way.  God  marvellously  preserved  Rajnai- 
ken, and  he  worked  faithfully  and  efficiently  as 
a  missionary  among  his  own  people  for  full  40 
years. 

With  the  entrance  of  the  truth  into  Tanjore 
the  name  of  another  missionary  hero  is  insepara- 
bly connected.  This  was  the  celebrated  and  de- 
voted Schwartz.  He  founded  a  mission  in  Tri- 
chinopoly,  but  afterwards  removed  to  Tanjore, 
where  he  settled  finally.  I  never  .shall  forget  the 
thrill  with  which  I  entered  the  first  chaiDel  built 
by  him  in  the  city  of  Tanjore — alas !  silent  now 
and  unused — and  looked  at  the  primitive  pulpit 
where  he  had  preached  and  the  flag-stone  on  the 
floor  under  which  he  was  buried  and  the  simple 
inscription,  in  Latin,  which  the  venerable  build- 
ing bears,  "This  house  of  prayer  was  built  A.  D. 
1779." 


8o  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

TANJORE. 

It  was  another  still,  stifling  morning  when  we 
started  to  join  the  early  mail-train  for  Tanjore. 
The  atmosphere  felt  like  a  Turkish  bath,  and  our 
weary  selves  were  more  fit  to  go  to  bed  than  to 
sit  for  the  next  20  hours  in  the  unlovely  compart- 
ment which  opened  for  our  reception. 

After  careful  consultation  with  our  friends  we 
had  arranged  to  proceed  down  the  east  coast  as 
far  as  the  railway  would  take  us,  then  enter  the 
beautiful  little  kingdom  of  Travancore,  traversing 
it  to  the  Cape  and  seeing  its  famed  mission  work, 
chiefly  among  the  Shanars  or  devil-worshippers, 
then  return  northward  by  the  famous  Backwater 
of  the  Malabar  coast,  visiting  Cottyam,  Cochin, 
etc.,  en  route^  and  so  on  to  the  Blue  Hills,  the 
famed  Nielgherries. 

One  of  the  odd  things  about  this  primitive  rail- 
way is  that  the  first-class  fare  costs  three  times  as 
much  as  that  of  second  class;  so  there  is  an  object 
in  systematically  choosing  these  boxed-up,  cush- 
ionless  carriages,  with  their  hard,  narrow  bench- 
es.   It  is  certainly  pleasanter  to  travel  on  a  shady 


TANJORE. 


8l 


day  like  this  than  when  the  fierce  sun  is  stream- 
ing mercilessly  in  at  curtainless  windows,  and  a 
bright  little  touch  of  beauty  and  sweetness  was 
added  to  our  dingy  surroundings  by  the  kind 
hands  of  some  native  friends  who  came  to  see  us 
off.  Along  with  some  pomegranates  and  other 
fruit,  which  we  found  most  cooling  and  delicious, 
they  brought  us  two  magnificent  bouquets,  and 
great  was  the  pleasure  the  lovely,  fragrant  flowers 
afforded  us  all  the  weary  day. 

One  of  the  many  fallacies  current  at  home 
concerning  things  Indian  is  that  roses  have  here 
no  perfume.  On  the  contrary,  some  vases  full  of 
beautiful  roses,  which  stand  beside  me  as  I  write, 
are  sending  forth  the  most  delicate  and  delicious 
odor.  It  is  true,  however,  that  some  Indian  flow- 
ers have  no  scout  at  all,  while  others,  especially 
those  of  flowering  shrubs,  are  too  heavily  scented 
to  be  pleasant. 

One  of  the  kind  friends  who  stood  beside  us 
until  the  train  moved  off  was  a  youth  of  whona 
wc  had  seen  a  good  deal  in  Madras  and  with 
whom  Dr.  Mitchell  has  had  much  cheering  inter- 
course. He  has  come  under  that  wonderful  per- 
sonal influence  which  Dr.  Miller  and  his  col- 
leagues exercise  so  largely  over  young  men.  lie 
has  also  enjoyed  the  training  which  Mr.  Rae  gives 
in  his  admirable  Bible-class,  and  he  certainly  is. 


82  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


in  one  sense,  a  believer.  But  to  many  such  young 
men  one  might  put  Paul's  question,  "Have  ye 
received  the  Holy  Ghost  since  ye  believed?"  One 
cannot  help  hoping  that  he  has,  there  is  some- 
thing so  peculiarly  attractive  about  him.  He 
stood  there,  in  his  snow-white  starched  coat  and 
bunchy,  loose  turban,  his  open,  honest  face  beam- 
ing with  a  light  which  we  trust  came  from  true 
light  and  peace  within.  Wc  said  some  earnest 
words  to  him  and  the  tears  stood  in  his  eyes,  and 
we  cannot  but  hope  for  him. 

It  is  curious  how  popular  the  Bible-class  is 
among  the  heathen  pupils;  that  is,  if  it  is  well 
and  brightly  taught.  This  young  man  said  that 
in  the  Christian  College  it  is  the  favorite  class; 
and,  indeed,  it  is  easy  for  visitors  to  see  that  this 
is  the  case  from  the  intense  and  thoughtful  in- 
terest depicted  on  every  face  as  the  teacher  goes 
on  opening  up  and  questioning  the  students  on 
the  sacred  theme.  This  precious  seed  which  is 
being  so  largely  sown  in  the  rich  soil  of  these 
young  hearts  will  surely  fulfil  its  end  and  bring 
forth  fruit  in  the  saving  of  souls  and  to  the  glory 
of  God. 

Until  we  leave  Madras  a  good  way  behind  the 
country  is  flat  and  monotonous,  but  wonderfully 
green,  and  near  the  stations,  especially  where 
there  arc  English  cantonments,  the  clumps  and 


TANJORE. 


83 


plantations  of  fine  shady  trees  are  most  refreshing 
to  the  eye.  Huge  hedges  of  spiky  cactus  abound, 
instead  of  the  prickly  pear  of  the  Deccan,  and 
some  palm-trees  here  and  there  soon  begin  to  dot 
the  plains;  but  they  look  stunted  and  scraggy,  es- 
pecially to  eyes  accustomed  to  the  stately  growth 
which  these  picturesque  children  of  the  tropics 
attain  in  the  low-lying,  humid  Konkan.  A  good 
deal  of  water  lay  in  the  rice  or  paddy  fields, 
which  accounted  for  the  general  aspect  of  green 
freshness  and  fertility,  though  the  large  river-beds 
were  generally  dry  or  had  only  a  tiny  stream 
trickling  through  the  broad,  sandy  bottom. 

The  country,  as  a  rule,  is  well  peopled  and 
well  cultivated,  and  there  were  many  quiet  pas- 
toral scenes  I  noticed  as  we  passed  which  were 
full  of  interest  and  had  their  own  beauty.  The 
rice-crops  were  in  every  stage  of  progress — some 
being  cut  and  harvested,  some  about  attaining  to 
the  golden  tint  of  ripeness,  while  other  tiny  fields, 
in  which  the  young  plants  had  just  been  bedded 
out,  looked  full  of  a  lovely,  delicate  green,  stand- 
ing out  of  the  water  with  which  they  had  been 
flooded.  Every  rice -field  is  surrounded  by  a 
small,  low  embankment,  which  is  also  a  tiny 
water-course,  as  the  plant  loves  plenty  of  moisture 
and  does  not  flourish  without  it.  Does  not  this 
remind  one  of  the  Spirit-taught  heart?    It  too 


84  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 

can  only  flourish  and  be  green  when  abundantly 
watered  with  heavenly  dews  by  Him  who  is  him- 
self "as  the  dew  unto  Israel."  As  I  watched  the 
cultivator  open  a  little  sluice  in  the  water-course 
and  let  in  a  gentle  stream,  which  wandered  over 
the  rice-bed  until  every  tiny  leaf  held  up  its  head, 
revived  and  full  of  fresh  beauty,  giving  promise 
of  the  ripe,  yellow  grain  to  come,  the  expression, 
"They  shall  revive  as  the  corn,"  Hos.  14:7, 
seemed  to  gain  new  significance  and  beauty. 
And  then  the  thought  naturally  followed  and 
turned  to  a  prayer  that  the  Good  Husbandman 
would  yet  turn  this  parched  land  of  heathenism 
into  water-springs  of  truth  and  fill  it  with  the 
beauties  of  holiness  and  fruits  of  righteousness. 
Oh,  there  is  need !  Nothing  strikes  you  more  as 
you  pass  along  than  the  indications  of  idolatry 
which  everywhere  abound.  At  every  village, 
under  every  green  tree,  at  the  roadside,  every- 
where, are  idol  shrines,  or  "Swami  houses,"  or 
grotesque,  ugly  images,  smeared  over  with  fla- 
ming red  paint,  while  in  every  town  of  any  size 
the  tall  gopiiram^  or  pyramidal  top  of  some  pa- 
goda, rears  itself,  often  most  picturesquely,  over 
the  beautiful  trees  which  generally  surround  it. 

Early  in  the  day  we  stopped  for  a  little  at 
Punrooty,  a  pretty,  green,  well-wooded  station, 
and  also,  thanks  be  to  God,  an  oasis  in  this  wil- 


TAXJORE. 


85 


derness  of  heathenism.  The  mission  at  this  place 
is  conducted  by  Miss  Reade,  the  daughter  of  a 
Madras  civilian  who  was  long  in  this  district.  It 
was  a  great  disappointment  not  to  see  it,  but  time 
pressed  and  IMiss  Reade  was  absent  in  Europe, 
her  health  having  completely  failed  under  her 
manifold  labors.  Her  large  orphanage  for  girls, 
gathered  during  the  famine,  is,  however,  in  full 
op>eration,  and  the  mission  is  carried  on  by  effi- 
cient workers.  A  friend  who  knows  her  well 
writes  to  me  thus:  "Miss  Reade  itinerates  much 
in  all  the  district,  giving  addresses  both  in  Tamil 
and  Hindostani.  She  feels  more  called  to  this 
work  than  any  other;  just  sowing  the  seed  is  her 
one  great  aim  and  desire.  She  is  often  asked  to 
go  again  and  again  to  the  villages  where  she  has 
already  been  and  made  the  gospel  known;  and 
just  at  the  time  of  her  illness,  last  November, 
many  were  coming  to  her  desiring  to  know  how 
they  were  to  give  up  their  idols  and  become 
Christians." 

Thus,  through  this  excellent  lady's  instrumen- 
tality, many  in  this  region  who  sat  in  darkness 
are  coming  to  see  a  great  light.  Will  not  some 
at  home,  who  have  the  means  and  the  time  and 
could  be  spared,  come  out  and  follow  Miss  Reade' s 
example? 

We  have  long  and  frequent  halts,  though  this 


86 


SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


is  the  mail-train.  My  husband  gets  out  and  talks 
to  the  people  who  throng  the  stations,  for  we  de- 
sire to  make  this  a  missionary  tour  in  every  sense. 
All  are  glad  too  to  accept  tracts  and  books,  but  it 
is  a  new  and  not  very  agreeable  experience  to  us 
to  have  to  pass  through  any  part  of  India  and  not 
be  able  to  speak  to  the  people  in  their  own 
tongue.  A  French  lady,  of  Pondicherr\',  who  is 
our  only  fellow-traveller,  comes  to  our  aid  when 
we  have  any  wants  to  make  known,  though  she 
knows  only  French  and  Tamil;  but  it  is  wonder- 
ful how  widespread  some  knowledge  of  English 
is,  even  in  these  regions  beyond;  and,  of  course, 
the  station-masters  and  officials  are  educated  men 
and  talk  English  perfectly.  We  found  one  or 
two  intelligent  young  Madrassees  employed  by 
Government  or  on  the  railway  who  had  been 
students  at  our  college  in  Madras. 

We  had  intended,  on  reaching  Tanjore,  to  put 
up  at  the  Travellers'  Bungalow — that  refuge  for 
the  pilgrim  and  stranger  which  a  paternal  Gov- 
ernment provides,  but  as  we  passed  through  one 
of  the  stations  en  route  a  telegram  was  put  into 
my  husband's  hand  from  some  kind  benefactor 
there,  inviting  us  to  be  his  guests  during  our 
stay.  This  was  totally  unexpected,  as  we  had  no 
acquaintance  in  the  place  that  we  knew  of.  We 
could  not  even  decipher  the  name  the  message 


TANJORE. 


87 


bore,  only  we  knew  that  our  Heavenly  Father 
was  "mindful  of  us"  and  goodness  and  mercy 
were  following  us  continually.  During  the  day 
we  found  out  that  our  unknown  friend  was  Mr. 
Buick,  the  Collector  of  Tanjore ;  so  when  our 
train  drew  slowly  into  the  station,  some  time 
after  midnight,  there,  sure  enough,  were  a  couple 
of  belted,  scarlet-coated  peons,  with  the  Collector- 
Sahib's  badge  across  their  breasts,  ready  to  take 
charge  of  us  and  our  belongings.  We  soon  found 
ourselves  in  charming  quarters.  There  was  a 
blaze  of  cheery,  welcoming  light;  servants  with 
hot  chocolate  and  other  good  things  were  ready; 
and  erelong  our  aching  heads  and  weary  bones 
were  reposing  deliciously  in  this  large,  airy,  quiet 
chamber.  We  knew  nothing  more  until  the  early 
sunlight  shining  in  through  the  jilmils^  or  Vene- 
tian blinds,  showed  us  our  fresh  surroundings. 
My  husband  was  soon  without,  and  over  the  high 
screen  which  divided  us  from  the  drawing-room 
I  heard  a  lady's  cheery  voice  bidding  him  heartily 
welcome  and  telling  him  he  was  an  old  friend. 

Some  years  ago,  during  the  revival  in  Ireland, 
we  were  the  guests  of  the  well-known  Rev.  J.  H. 
Moore,  of  Connor,  where,  if  I  mistake  not,  the 
revival  movement  began.  Mr.  Moore  showed  us 
much  of  that  great  work,  and  he  and  his  wife 
were  most  hospitable  and  kind.     Our  hostess  is 


88  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


their  daughter,  and  she  remembers  us  and  our 
visit,  though  then  little  more  than  a  child.  How 
grateful  I  felt  as  I  listened  to  her  pleasant  greet- 
ing, to  which  her  husband's  was  soon  added!  We 
could  now,  indeed,  see  Tanjore  under  the  best  pos- 
sible auspices.  Their  kindness  was  simply  un- 
wearied and  unbounded. 

The  first  thing  we  did  after  breakfast  was  to 
go  to  the  flat  roof-top  of  Mr.  Buick's  house,  as  the 
highest  point  at  command,  to  get  a  general  view 
of  the  main  features  of  the  place.  This  always 
helps  one  afterwards  in  taking  in  details  more 
correctly.  The  great  plain  of  Tanjore  lay  spread 
out  at  our  feet,  bounded  on  all  sides  by  the  hori- 
zon, except  where  a  range  of  far-off  hills,  faintly 
discernible  in  the  distance,  seemed  to  mingle  with 
the  clouds.  The  plain  is  beautifully  wooded  in 
some  parts  and  well  cultivated;  that  is,  it  seems 
one  vast  paddy  or  rice  field,  except  where  thick 
jungle  prevails.  The  roads  seem  well  lined  with 
trees,  while  the  houses  stand  in  the  midst  of 
clumps  and  topes;  but  the  foliage  is  dusty  and 
brown.  The  native  town  lies  a  good  deal  within 
the  walls  of  the  fort,  where  the  fine  old  palace  is 
the  chief  feature,  with  its  towers  and  gateway  and 
lofty,  grim  old  walls.  But  the  most  conspicuous 
and  striking  object  in  the  scene,  which  one  cannot 
help  looking  down  upon  with  wondering  admira- 


TAN'JORE. 


89 


tion,  is  the  Grand  Pagoda,  one  of  the  sights  of 
Tanjore.  It  is  a  huge,  pyramidal  structure, 
standing  in  a  great  court,  with  a  lofty  gateway 
and  surrounded  by  a  high  wall.  It  is  considered 
one  of  the  finest  temples  of  the  kind  in  all  India, 
and  our  friends  promised  us  a  nearer  inspection 
by-and-by. 

We  denizens  of  the  Maratha  country  ought  to 
have  felt  here  we  were  breathing  familiar  air,  for 
this  g^eat  province  was  long  under  the  sovereign- 
ty of  the  Marathas.  The  last  rajah,  who  died  in 
1855,  unfortunately  had  no  male  issue,  so,  accord- 
ing to  the  policy  which  then  ruled  in  English 
councils,  the  sovereignty  lapsed  to  the  Honorable 
East  India  Company. 

But  what  we  wanted  to  see  first  was  something 
of  the  missions  in  this  famous  old  mission  field, 
where  the  light  began  to  shine  when  so  much  of 
the  rest  of  the  land  was  still  dark.  Dr.  Claudius 
Buchanan  had  called  Tanjore  the  garden  of  the 
gospel;  we  wondered  if  it  still  deserved  the  high 
designation.  A  carriage  from  the  palace  was 
most  kindly  put  at  our  disposal  to  go  where  we 
liked;  so  we  soon  found  our  way  to  the  German 
mission-house,  where  we  made  the  acquaintance 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pamperien,  the  missionary  and 
his  wife  in  charge  of  the  Leipzig  Mission. 

We  were  delighted  with  the  tall,  pleasant  Ger- 


90  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 

man  pastor  and  his  young  wife,  who  gave  us  a 
most  cordial  welcome  and  took  us  all  over  their 
full,  busy  mission  compound.  There  are  day- 
schools  and  orphanages  both  for  boys  and  girls, 
all  located  round  the  centre  mission  bungalow 
and  thus  directly  under  the  missionary's  eye. 
The  church  also  stands  conspicuous  at  one  side  of 
the  spacious  inclosure.  It  is  a  fine,  large  white 
building,  airy  and  roomy  inside,  with  some  pretty 
colored-glass  windows,  and  memorial  slabs  on  the 
walls.  The  floor  is  comfortably  matted,  but  has 
no  pews  or  seats  of  any  kind;  the  people  sit  on 
the  floor,  the  men  on  one  side  and  the  women  on 
the  other,  as  in  China;  and  thus  it  holds  a  larger 
congregation.  Some  of  the  native  Christians, 
hearing  of  our  arrival,  gathered  about  the  church 
door  and  gave  us  a  most  kindly  greeting.  We 
had  some  very  nice  talk  with  them,  especially 
with  two  elder  men,  who  are  catechists  or,  rather, 
pastors,  and  assist  Mr.  Pamperien  chiefly  in  the 
village  and  district  work.  The  farthest  station 
occupied  by  the  mission  is  36  miles  off".  Mr. 
Pamperien  told  us  that  10,000  converts  have  been 
added  to  the  missions  of  their  society  in  India 
during  the  last  four  or  five  years.  This  indeed 
was  cheering  news. 

We  spent  a  long,  pleasant  morning  in  the 
midst  of  this  active  mission  circle,  and  then  drove 


TAN'JORE. 


91 


to  the  fort  to  see  the  English  school  and  college 
connected  with  the  Society  for  the  Propagation  of 
the  Gospel.  There  are  only  two  missionaries  of 
this  society  at  present  in  Tanjore,  IMessrs.  Kay 
and  Blake.  Having  sent  in  our  cards,  the  latter, 
whose  work  seems  chiefly  to  be  in  the  college, 
came  down  and  received  us  very  courteously. 

He  was  extremely  kind  and  took  us  all  through 
the  quaint,  queer,  whitewashed  native  building, 
where  every  room  and  corner  seemed  turned  into 
a  class-room.  These  were  filled  with  some  300  to 
400  lads,  who  looked  bright  and  intelligent.  The 
Madrassees  have,  as  a  rule,  honest,  good-humored 
countenances,  broader  of  feature  and  darker  in 
complexion  than  the  Marathas;  more  open,  per- 
haps, in  expression,  but  not,  I  think,  so  intellec- 
tual. They  wear  large,  soft  turbans,  which  suit 
an  Oriental  face,  instead  of  the  bare  heads  of  the 
young  Bengalis,  who  only  wear  turbans  in  full 
dress  and  have  their  thick  black  hair  cropped  and 
dressed  like  English  lads. 

I  asked  some  of  Mr.  Blake's  pupils  why  they 
were  so  anxious  to  acquire  an  English  education. 
"Oh,"  said  they  very  honestly,  "because  we  want 
to  get  Government  employment."  A  knowledge 
of  English  is  the  ladder  by  which  they  hope  to 
mount  to  this  grand  prize  which  lies  at  the  top. 
Poor  fellows!  it  is  quite  natural;  and  though  cdu- 


92 


SCENES  IX  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


cation  for  its  own  sake  is  not  yet  always  the  at- 
traction it  ought  to  be,  may  we  not  hope  that 
many  taught  in  Christian  schools,  who  have  the 
additional  advantage  of  a  thorough  training  in 
Bible  knowledge,  may  find  a  better  prize  even 
than  they  dream  of  at  the  top,  namely,  the  sal- 
vation of  their  immortal  souls  ? 

Mr.  Blake  is  very  enthusiastic  about  his  school 
and  works  hard,  generally  spending  the  whole  day 
in  it.  In  the  terrible  heat  of  these  crowded  rooms 
this  is  no  small  self-denial  and  toil.  My  husband 
found  a  good  many  Marathas  among  the  pupils  and 
many  Brahmans,  and  had  much  interesting  talk. 

This  was  all  we  saw  of  the  S.  P.  G.  Missions 
or  missionaries,  except,  indeed,  a  very  nice  girls' 
school,  taught  by  Mrs.  Gahan  and  her  daughter, 
also  accommodated  in  the  fort.  There  were  63 
bright-looking  girls  present,  bigger  and  older  too 
than  are  usually  to  be  found  in  day-schools  of  this 
sort.  Mrs.  Gahan  also  visits  in  the  zenanas  and 
teaches  in  the  palace.  The  princess  is  one  of  her 
pupils,  and  a  very  intelligent  pupil  she  is.  I 
have  just  seen  a  grateful  letter  from  her  to  my 
friend  Mrs.  Buick,  written  in  rather  a  schoolgirl 
hand,  but  well  expressed  in  good  English,  thank- 
ing her  for  some  kindness  done  to  her,  and  saying 
how  grateful  she  is  to  "  the  good  collector, ' '  as  she 
calls  Mr.  Buick. 


TANJORE. 


93 


Early  yesterday  afternoon  onr  friends  took  us 
a  round  of  sight-seeing.  We  drove  to  the  fort  in 
state,  the  collector  being  the  embodiment  of  au- 
thority as  the  representative  of  the  English  Gov- 
ernment, and  we  were  received  at  the  entrance  by 
the  guard,  who  beat  a  salute  in  honor  of  the  visit- 
ors. The  sirkele  of  the  palace,  or  Prime  Minister, 
was  waiting  with  a  grand  retinue  of  smaller  ofii- 
cials,  red-coated  peons,  and  all  manner  of  attend- 
ants, and  conducted  us  over  the  palace.  It  is  a 
dreary  old  pile,  full  of  the  indications  and  remains 
of  fallen  greatness.  It  was  altogether  very  pa- 
thetic, there  is  such  an  extraordinary  mingling  of 
ruin  and  decay,  with  relics  of  old  court  pageantry 
and  pomp  and  tawdry  finery  and  barbaric  splen- 
dor. In  the  same  way  some  of  the  rooms  are  ex- 
ceedingly handsome,  while  the  labyrinthine  pas- 
sages which  lead  to  them  are  narrow  and  squalid, 
and  some  of  the  walls  and  courts,  though  fine  in 
design,  are  tumble-down  or  unfinished.  We  first 
visited  the  museum,  an  omnium  gatJierum  of  old 
State  property,  weapons,  saddles,  and  rich  saddle- 
cloths of  gold,  splendid  shawls,  quaint  turbans 
which  had  graced  the  heads  of  the  old  rajahs,  old 
chairs  of  state,  and  many  other  relics  too  numer- 
ous to  name,  while  whole  centuries  of  story  seemed 
to  fill  the  place.  We  next  saw  the  old  Durbar- 
room  or  Hall  of  Audience,  where  the  gilt  canopy 


94  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 

stands,  under  which  is  the  gadi  or  throne.  The 
walls  are  decorated  with  some  portraits,  and  on 
the  same  side  of  the  quadrangle  is  the  library,  full 
of  dusty  old  tomes,  where  my  husband  was  much 
in  his  element  over  some  curious  old  Sanscrit  and 
Llarathi  manuscripts.  We  then  crossed  a  spacious 
court,  in  which  multitudes  of  tame  pigeons  were 
being  fed,  to  another  and  more  modem  Durbar- 
hall,  used  by  the  later  Maratha  rajahs,  which  is 
an  exceedingly  handsome  room  of  stately  propor- 
tions, with  a  highly-polished  floor  and  some  fine 
pillars.  In  this  hall  is  the  beautiful  statue,  in 
white  marble,  of  the  father  of  the  last  rajah, 
which  stands  on  a  magnificent  slab  of  black  mar- 
ble or  porphyry.  Here  also  is  a  curious  old 
swinging  cot  suspended  from  the  roof,  at  which  I 
looked  with  much  interest,  as  I  found  it  was  the 
same  described  by  Schwartz  in  an  account  of  his 
interview  with  the  rajah  on  the  occasion  of  his 
first  visit  to  Tanjore,  long  before  he  finally  settled 
here. 

It  was  a  disappointment  to  us  that  the  prin- 
cess was  not  at  home.  She  and  her  consort  were 
away  at  Baroda,  at  the  grand  doings  on  the  Gaek- 
war's  accession.  We  saw  her  State  reception- 
rooms,  however,  which  are  very  handsome  and 
full  of  modem  adornments,  such  as  carpets,  mir- 
rors, chandeliers.    At  the  upper  cud  there  is  a 


TANJORE. 


95 


raised  dais,  with  great  chairs  beneath  a  canopy, 
where  her  Royal  Highness  receives  her  lady 
guests,  a  transparent  curtain  being  drawn  across, 
which  propriety  requires  should  divide  her  from 
the  party  of  the  other  sex  gathered  in  the  apart- 
ment below.    Here  her  consort  presides  for  her. 

We  finished  our  interesting  investigations  in 
the  palace  by  a  visit  to  the  old  ranis,  the  widows 
of  the  last  rajah.  Having  threaded  some  more 
dark  passages  and  courts,  we  ascended  a  steep, 
short  stairway  leading  to  their  apartments,  where 
we  were  received  with  great  courtesy  by  a  weak- 
looking  young  man,  the  adopted  son  of  one  of 
the  ranis.  There  was  little  of  the  grandeur  of  a 
palace  visible.  We  were  ushered  into  an  apart- 
ment, handsome  as  to  proportions,  but  faded  and 
forlorn,  with  a  tattered  curtain  of  yellow  satin 
drawn  along  the  whole  length  of  the  room.  As 
we  entered  we  saw  many  little  stirrings  at  the  foot 
of  this  curtain  and  curious  eyes  peeping  forth  to 
catch  a  sight  of  the  strangers.  Mrs.  Buick  and  I 
went  within  the  curtain,  and  were  at  once  sur- 
rounded by  a  number  of  women  of  different  ages. 
The  principal  wife  is  a  gray-haired,  withered  old 
woman;  but  many  of  those  we  saw  must  have 
been  mere  children  when  the  old  man  died.  He 
left  seventeen  widows,  twelve  of  whom  are  still 
alive.    I  cannot  say  they  looked  interesting,  but 


96 


SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


one  could  not  help  one's  heart  going  out  to  them 
in  pity,  with  a  longing  desire  to  give  them  some- 
thing which  might  brighten  their  cheerless,  empty 
lives.  How  I  longed  to  tell  them  of  the  Friend 
of  the  friendless,  the  Judge  of  the  widow !  But 
they  did  not  seem  to  care  much  to  be  taught,  and 
I  came  away  from  the  visit  feeling  rather  de- 
pressed. 

The  temple,  or  pagoda,  at  Tanjore  is  a  mag- 
nificent structure,  and  we  saw  as  much  of  it  and 
its  wonderful  surroundings  as  any  European  is 
allowed  to  see,  for  no  unclean  foreign  foot  may 
tread  the  sacred  interior.  The  appearance  of  a 
colossal  Nandi^  or  sacred  bull,  in  black  basalt, 
erected  in  the  court  in  front  of  the  principal  shrine, 
showed  at  once  that  the  temple  is  dedicated  to 
the  god  Shiva — Nandi  being  the  bull  on  which 
Shiva  rides.  The  basalt  was  well  oiled  all  over, 
and  so  looked  like  bronze. 

There  are  inscriptions  all  round  the  base, 
which  have  been  translated  by  the  learned  civil- 
ian Dr.  Burnell.  The  court  is  handsome  and  very 
spacious,  with  cloisters  all  round,  in  which  are 
small  symbols  of  Shiva.  There  is  a  second  tem- 
ple in  the  inclosure  dedicated  to  Subrahmanya, 
the  son  of  vShiva,  which  is  also  of  the  usual  elabo- 
rate construction,  and  has  a  beautiful  goparam^ 
or  tower.    In  a  chamber  connected  with  the  page- 


I 


TANJORE. 


97 


da  there  is  a  series  of  portraits,  life  size,  of  the 
royal  family  of  Tanjore,  from  the  great  Shivaji 
and  his  father  Shahji,  down  to  the  last  rajah. 
The  chief  pagoda  is  surmounted  by  a  very  fine 
monolith  of  granite,  which  is  said  to  weigh  80 
tons.  All  these  temples  belong  to  the  senior 
rani  at  the  palace,  who  pays  the  ptijaris,  or 
priests,  feeds  the  Brahmans,  and  keeps  up  the 
place. 

I  observe  that  the  people  here  generally  wear 
very  conspicuous  idolatrous  marks.  These  are 
either  on  the  forehead  or  breast  or  neck,  and  are 
usually  made  with  daubs  of  white  paint  put  on  in 
long  lines.  They  are  very  pronounced  in  their 
religiousness,  greatly  caste-ridden,  and  under  the 
sway  of  the  Brahmans  to  a  very  great  extent. 

But  certainly  the  interest  of  our  stay  in  Tan- 
jore culminated  in  our  visit  to  the  venerable 
church  of  the  illustrious  Schwartz.  Altogether 
one  seemed  to  live  more  in  the  past  as  to  missions 
than  the  present  in  a  place  so  full  of  memories  as 
this,  except,  indeed,  when  one  longed  that  the 
present  might  more  fully  realize  the  expectations 
awakened  by  the  past. 

It  is  not  tliat  there  is  so  much  to  see  or  tell 
about  in  the  touching  old  chapel,  though  we  felt 
it  to  be  so  infinitely  more  interesting  than  any 
simply  classic  ground  could  ever  be. 

Bcenri  In  Soutliem  India.  '7  * 


98 


SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


It  is  an  unpretending,  plain,  barnlike  build- 
ing, with  no  ecclesiastical  pretensions  at  all — a 
bare  stone  floor,  whitewashed  walls,  no  seats  of 
any  sort,  a  small,  primitive  pulpit  at  one  end,  in 
which  we  stood  with  a  thrill  in  our  hearts,  for  it 
is  the  same  in  which  Schwartz  so  often  preached. 
The  church  is  not  now  used ;  it  is  empty,  deserted, 
silent!  Why?  I  often  asked;  for  it  seems  in 
tolerable  preservation,  or  might  be  if  ordinary 
care  were  taken  to  preserve  it.  One  would  like 
to  see  an  edifice  like  this,  which  has  received  the 
consecration  it  has  enjoyed,  cared  for  and  filled 
daily  for  God's  worship. 

But  another  interest  attaches  to  the  church 
besides  its  hallowed  memories.  The  celebrated 
monument  by  Flaxman,  erected  to  the  memory 
of  Schwartz  by  the  Rajah  Sarfoji,  is  placed  in  the 
wall  inside  at  the  end  of  the  building.  It  is  a 
very  beautiful  bas-relief  in  white  marble,  repre- 
senting the  dying  missionary,  his  countenance 
full  of  hope  and  holy  peace,  taking  leave  of  the 
king,  who  stands  beside  the  couch  weeping  and 
grasping  the  hand  of  his  "father  and  friend,"  as 
he  always  called  him.  A  few  of  Schwartz's 
pupils  stand  about  and  some  of  the  king's  minis- 
ters behind.  It  is  a  most  lovely  work  of  art  and 
tells  its  touching  and  strange  story  exquisitely. 
The  inscription  is  in  English. 


TANJORE. 


99 


The  king  himself  wrote  to  the  society  at  home 
with  which  Schwartz  was  conuected  to  order  the 
monument,  using  these  remarkable  words:  "I 
have  asked  your  missionaries  ....  to  procure  a 
marble  monument,  which  may  be  erected  in  their 
church  in  my  principal  city  and  residence,  to 
keep  up  the  remembrance  of  the  departed  revered 
Father  Schwartz  and  to  testify  to  the  extreme  re- 
spect with  which  I  regard  the  character  of  that 
great  and  good  man  and  the  gratitude  I  owe  him 
as  my  father  and  friend  and  the  protector  and 
guardian  of  my  youth."  He  adds,  at  the  close  of 
his  letter,  "Oh,  gentlemen,  that  you  were  but 
able  to  send  missionaries  here  who  should  resem- 
ble the  departed  Schwartz!"  Shall  we  not  echo 
this  sentiment  and  turn  it  into  a  prayer  to  Him 
who  is  able  now  as  then  to  send  forth  such  labor- 
ers into  His  vineyard? 

Another  monument  was  erected  to  Schwartz 
by  the  Honorable  East  India  Company.  It  stands 
in  the  fort  church  in  Madras. 

In  1749  Schwartz  was  ordained  at  Copen- 
hagen, sailed  from  London,  and  arrived  at  Cud- 
dalore  the  following  year,  and  at  once  joined  the 
mission  circle  at  Tranqucbar.  "By  the  end  of 
the  same  year,"  says  Fcnger,  "he  preached  his 
first  sermon  in  Tamil."  He  himself  tells  that 
the  text  of  his  first  sermon  was,  *'  Nevertheless  at 


lOO 


SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


thy  word  I  will  let  down  the  net;  and  when  they 
had  done  this  they  inclosed  a  great  multitude  of 
fishes."  He  adds,  "God  has  wrought  in  me  hu- 
mility and  a  childlike  confidence  in  his  word  by 
this  text."  It  became  the  key-note  of  his  whole 
simple  and  devoted  missionary  life.  He  worked 
for  ten  years  in  Tranquebar,  then  went  to  Trichi- 
nopoly,  where  he  founded  a  branch  of  the  mis- 
sion, and  finally,  in  1778,  he  settled  in  Tanjore. 
By  the  following  year  this  church  was  built,  as 
the  simple  inscription  tells.  He  also  erected 
other  buildings,  such  as  schools  and  a  mission- 
house,  and  gathered  a  large  congregation  together, 
training  some  of  the  more  able  from  among  his 
converts  to  be  pastors,  evangelists,  and  teachers. 
He  labored  for  twenty  years  in  Tanjore  and  is 
said  to  have  baptized  over  two  thousand  persons, 
many  of  whom  were  of  high  caste.  He  died  on 
the  13th  of  February,  1798,  in  the  seventy-second 
year  of  his  age,  after  forty-seven  years  of  actual 
service  in  the  mission  field.  His  brother  mission- 
ary, Mr.  Gericke,  who  was  present  when  he  died, 
tells  that  "he  died  in  the  arms  of  his  faithful  and 
grateful  native  assistants,"  and  speaks  of  the  gen- 
eral and  profound  grief  his  death  awakened:  "The 
weeping  and  sobbing  of  the  people  in  the  two 
Christian  villages  was  most  touching.  We  could 
hear  it  all  the  night  through.    It  is  not  we  only," 


TANJORE. 


lOl 


he  adds,  ' '  who  have  lost  a  father,  but  the  whole 
country."  Gericke  also  tells  that  the  Tanjore 
Mission  and  the  institutions  belonging  to  it  had 
been  left  his  heirs.  This  was  consistent  with  the 
practice  of  his  life;  his  liberality  was  extraordi- 
nary, and  whatever  means  he  received  he  spent 
not  on  himself,  but  on  his  beloved  mission. 

In  his  character  there  was  a  wonderful  com- 
bination of  simplicity  and  power,  and  every  one 
who  writes  of  him  agrees  as  to  the  great  influence 
he  possessed  with  the  natives.  He  had  also  great 
weight  with  the  English  Government.  It  is  mat- 
ter of  history  how  useful  he  was  in  the  embassy 
to  Hydcr  Ali  with  which  the  Madras  Government 
intrusted  him.  "Let  them  send  the  Christian," 
said  the  great  warrior;  "he  will  not  deceive  me." 
And  we  have  already  seen  how  successful  he  was 
in  the  educating  and  training  of  the  young  king. 
Of  his  appearance  and  habits  his  friend  Sir  Wil- 
liam Chambers  gives  the  following  interesting 
description:  "Picture  to  yourself  a  well-grown 
man  above  middle  height,  holding  himself  nat- 
urally, yet  erect,  of  rather  dark  yet  healthy  com- 
plexion, with  black  curly  hair  and  a  powerful, 
manly  glance,  expressing  unaffected  modesty,  up- 
rightness, and  benevolence,  and  then  you  have  an 
idea  of  the  impression  the  first  sight  of  Schwartz 
makes  on  a  stranger.    A  plateful  of  rice,  with 


102  SCENKS  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


some  vegetable  curry,  formed  the  daily  meal  to 
which  he  sat  down  with  a  cheerful  countenance, 
and  a  piece  of  native  cloth  dyed  black  formed  the 
material  for  his  dress  for  a  year.  Thus  raised 
above  all  earthly  cares,  his  whole  attention  is 
turned  towards  spreading  the  gospel." 

But  I  must  not  go  on,  though  the  theme  is  a 
tempting  one;  but  one  thing  seems  clear — it  was 
not  so  much  his  intellect  or  his  undoubted  saea- 
city  and  prudence  which  gave  him  the  command 
he  possessed  over  men,  especially  over  the  na- 
tives, as  it  was  the  singular  simplicity  of  aim 
which  characterized  his  life,  his  unselfishness 
also,  and  the  evident  absence  of  all  covetousness 
in  regard  to  money,  spending  as  he  did  all  he  had 
on  God's  work.  Then,  above  all,  there  was  the 
manifest  reality  of  his  religion  and  the  sincerity 
of  his  personal  godliness.  These  things  showed 
the  power  of  God  in  him,  and  these  told  on  the 
natives  and  formed  the  secret  of  his  influence  and 
success  as  a  missionary. 

A  few  glimmering  rays  of  light  had  broken  on 
the  midnight  darkness  of  the  Tanjore  province  in 
the  early  days  of  the  Danish  Mission  through  the 
labors  of  Rajnaiken,  whose  story  I  have  told,  but 
the  daybreak  came  with  Schwartz.  Darkness 
was  on  the  face  of  the  deep,  but  the  Spirit  of  God 
moved  upon  the  face  of  the  waters.   After  a  time, 


TAXJORE. 


when  he  and  his  immediate  successors  had  passed 
away,  the  light  perhaps  grew  dim,  but  now,  in 
these  days  of  modern  effort  and  fresh  awakening 
to  the  great  interests  of  the  heathen  world,  let  us 
hope  and  pray  that  it  may  soon  grow  bright  again, 
and  wax  brighter  and  brighter  until  the  perfect 
day  of  truth  and  righteousness  shall  have  come 
over  the  whole  province. 


I04  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

DINDIGAL.     ITS  MEDICAL  MISSION. 

Our  next  halt  is  to  be  Dindigal,  where  there 
is  a  flourishing  branch  of  the  American  Mission, 
which  has  worked  in  the  province  of  Madura  for 
the  last  fifty  years. 

We  had  a  most  comfortable  start,  after  a  sub- 
stantial breakfast,  when  a  whole  company  of  kind 
people  assembled  on  the  platform  to  see  us  off. 
Our  carriage  was  stuffed  with  good  things  by  our 
very  kindest  of  hostesses;  even  dark  blinds  for 
the  glaring  windows  were  not  forgotten. 

It  was  a  curious  thing,  as  we  sped  over  this 
vast  Tanjore  plain,  smiling  now  in  green  tran- 
quillity, to  think  of  the  times,  not  so  very  far 
past,  when  it  was  scoured  by  troops  of  fierce  Ma- 
ratha  horse;  "hordes  of  imperial  robbers,"  Sir 
Thomas  Munro  called  them,  doubtless  with  too 
much  justice,  in  those  troublous  times.  INIany  are 
the  legends  which  still  survive  of  the  doughty 
deeds  done  by  these  wild  warriors.  It  is  certainly 
a  pleasant  change  now,  when  nothing  is  to  be 
seen  but  peaceful,  waving  crops  and  the  staid 
population  and  quiet,  rural  scenes.    I  have  been 


DINDIGAL.     ITS  MEDICAL  MISSION.  I05 

wondering  whether  they  would  rather  go  back  to 
the  stirring  days  of  native  rule,  when  might  was 
right — fancying,  perhaps,  as  distance  lends  en- 
chantment to  the  view  in  various  senses,  that  in 
these  old  times  they  were  better  off.  There  is 
one  thing  the  people  do  heartily  appreciate — that 
now  they  can  live  in  security,  without  dread  of 
dacoity  or  robbery,  which  used  to  be  so  rife, 
or  perhaps  torture  and  death.  They  can  even 
travel  now  with  their  families  from  one  end  of 
the  land  to  the  other,  carrying  their  money-bags 
and  jewels  with  them,  no  one  daring  to  make 
them  afraid. 

We  had  hoped  to  pay  a  visit  to  Trichinopoly, 
or  Trichy,  as  it  is  popularly  called,  but  we  find 
that  cholera  is  raging  in  all  the  district,  and  our 
kind  friends  at  Tanjore  would  not  hear  of  our 
venturing  into  the  infected  city;  we  therefore  re- 
luctantly passed  it  by,  prudently  contenting  our- 
selves with  what  could  be  seen  during  the  hour 
our  train  halted  at  the  station. 

Trichinopoly  is  famed  for  more  than  its  lovely 
silver  filigree-work  or  its  cigars  and  tobacco. 
Here  the  good  Bishop  Heber  lies  buried,  and  we 
should  have  liked  much  to  visit  his  tomb;  and 
here  Schwartz  labored  most  successfully.  There 
are  missions  of  the  present  day  also  full  of  inter- 
est.    This  is  the  headquarters  of  the  Roman- 


Io6  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


catholic  missions  of  the  South,  and  I  am  told 
that  here  they  are  particularly  flourishing. 

We  managed  to  get  an  excellent  though  dis- 
tant view  of  the  famous  "Rock,"  but  it  was  a 
great  disappointment  not  to  be  able  to  explore  its 
wonderful  chambers,  which  are  said  to  be  so 
curious  and  intricate,  and  its  extensive  fortifica- 
tions. Fine  flights  of  steps  ascend  to  its  summit, 
from  which  there  must  be  a  beautiful  prospect  of 
mountain  and  plain,  cities  and  temples.  The 
country  immediately  round,  though  generally  fiat, 
is  dotted  here  and  there  with  curious  isolated 
rocks  and  is  cultivated  and  well  wooded.  The 
casiiariiia^  or  babjil-tx&G^  abounds,  and  the  crops, 
besides  the  staple  rice,  include  sugar-cane,  to- 
bacco, and  cotton. 

Some  time  after  we  had  passed  Trichinopoly 
we  got  into  a  region  of  hills,  some  of  picturesque 
formation  and  pretty  with  grass,  broken  jungle, 
and  rock.  This  was  a  most  pleasant  change  from 
the  flat  monotony  of  the  scantily-peopled  plains. 
Some  quaint  beehive  huts,  with  thatched  roofs 
shaped  like  extinguishers,  lay  nestling  in  brown 
groups  about  the  base  of  the  hills,  and  the  simple 
people  seemed  busy  in  their  little  fields.  There 
are  great  plantations  of  the  castor-oil  plant,  and 
the  ditches  are  filled  with  quantities  of  gigantic 
feathery  grasses,  which  are  exceedingly  beautiful. 


DIXDIGAL.      ITS  MEDICAL  MISSION.  IO7 


As  it  grew  cool  in  the  evening  and  the  shadows 
were  deepening  beneath  the  trees  we  drew  near 
our  journey's  end. 

As  soon  as  we  entered  the  station  a  vigorous 
man,  of  middle  age,  with  a  ringing  voice  and 
hearty  manner,  came  straight  to  our  carriage  and 
.  welcomed  us  to  Dindigal.  This  was  Dr.  Chester, 
the  well-known  and  much-respected  head  of  the 
medical  branch  of  the  IMadura  ^Mission.  He  has 
labored  in  Dindigal,  which  is  his  headquarters, 
and  in  all  the  district  round  about  for  full  twenty 
years  and  has  done  a  noble  work,  which  grows 
more  important  every  day.  We  were  soon  in  his 
"trap,"  driven  by  the  energetic  doctor,  with 
whom  we  were  at  home  in  a  moment;  I  thought 
we  had  not  seen  so  pretty  a  station  on  this  side  of 
India. 

We  were  received  in  the  bowery  porch  of  the 
comfortable  mission  bungalow  by  Mrs.  Chester, 
who  gave  us  as  kindly  a  welcome  as  her  husband 
had  done.  The  venerable  missionary,  Jilr.  Chand- 
ler, was  beside  her;  he  had  driven  in  his  bullock- 
coach  from  his  distant  station  on  purpose  to  meet 
us  and  carry  us  back  with  him  if  he  could.  But 
this  great  pleasure  cannot  be  ours  at  present. 

The  Chandlers  are  a  missionary  race.  Like 
the  Gulicks  of  Japan  and  other  American  fam- 
ilies, fathers  and  children  have  all  cast  in  their 


SCENES  IX  SOrTIIERX  INDIA. 


lot  with  the  same  grand  cause  and  are  missiona- 
ries in  different  parts  of  the  heathen  field.  This 
fine  old  man,  who  stood  in  the  doorway  as  we 
arrived  and  greeted  us  with  so  much  feeling,  has 
grown  gray  in  the  servdce  of  his  mission.  He 
was  one  of  the  first  who  came  to  INIadura.  Soon 
after  we  arrived  his  son  came  in  from  his  station, 
which  lies  quite  in  a  different  direction  from  his 
father's,  and  we  spent  a  delightful  evening,  chief- 
ly in  hearing  of  the  progress  of  the  Lord's  work 
in  this  successful  and  long-established  mission. 
It  was  commenced  by  the  American  Board  of 
Commissioners  for  Foreign  ^Missions  in  1834,  and 
the  progress  in  all  departments,  with  the  results 
in  churches  and  .schools  and  Christian  families, 
naturally  fills  the  hearts  of  the  missionaries,  as 
well  as  those  of  the  Board  at  home,  with  encour- 
agement and  thankfulness. 

There  are  ten  stations  in  all,  with  at  least  one 
American  missionary  to  each,  the  parish  attached 
to  every  station  being  somewhere  about  eight 
hundred  square  miles !  The  population  of  the 
whole  ]\Iadura  province  is  nearly  two  millions, 
and  all  these  people,  more  or  less,  have  been 
brought  under  the  sound  and  influence  of  the 
gospel.  Each  missionary  is  expected  to  work 
his  eight  hundred  square  miles,  which  of  course 
would  be  an  impossibility  but  for  the  admirable 


DIXDIGAL.      ITS  MEDICAL  MISSION.  IO9 

staff  of  native  assistants  attached  to  each  station, 
who  have  been  carefully  trained  as  pastors,  evan- 
gelists, catechists,  Bible-women,  and  teachers. 

This  whole  district  is  rich  agriculturally  and 
possesses  a  great  deal  of  material  prosperity.  The 
people  as  a  rule  are  well  off  and  well  dressed,  and 
among  the  coflfee-planters  of  the  Lower  Pulney 
Hills  not  a  few  are  natives.  Money  too  seems 
wonderfully  abundant,  and  the  people  do  not 
seem  to  mind  how  much  they  spend  on  their  fes- 
tivals and  weddings  or  in  building  themselves 
better  houses,  and  especially  in  erecting  and  en- 
dowing new  temples  and  Swami  shrines.  But 
they  also  take  a  pride  in  having  their  children 
educated  and  are  quite  willing  to  pay  substantial 
school -fees. 

This  flourishing  district,  of  such  immense  ex- 
tent, then,  has  been  taken  possession  of  for  Christ 
by  these  energetic  Americans,  and  the  banner  of 
the  gospel  floats  over  it  from  end  to  end.  The 
people  generally  do  not  offer  much  opposition 
when  preaching  is  going  on,  and  they  are  not 
altogether  unfavorable  to  the  spread  of  Chris- 
tianity in  their  country'.  Still  the  complaint  is 
the  same  as  you  hear  expressed  everywhere — that 
the  indifference  displayed  is  often  most  disap- 
pointing; they  care  for  none  of  these  things;  they 
acquiesce,  agree  that  it  is  all  true,  and  go  away 


no  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


and  forget  all  about  it.  And  yet  much  has  been 
accomplished.  In  connection  with  the  ten  sta- 
tions there  are  thirty-four  native  Christian  con- 
gregations, most  of  them  ministered  to  by  native 
pastors,  with  a  membership,  besides  adherents,  of 
2,827.  These  converts  are  drawn  from  all  castes, 
but  chiefly  from  the  Vellalas,  or  cultivators.  Sev- 
eral of  the  churches  are  self-sustaining,  paying 
their  own  pastor,  and  the  district  is  covered  with 
a  network  of  schools  taught  by  Christian  teach 
ers,  both  male  and  female.  All  that  is  needed  is 
a  rich  effusion  of  the  Holy  Spirit  of  God,  the 
watering  with  the  dew  from  heaven;  then  would 
all  this  good  seed,  so  diligently  sowed,  spring  up 
and  "the  glory  of  Lebanon"  be  given  to  this 
whole  province. 

Dindigal  is  the  headquarters  of  the  medical 
part  of  the  mission,  as  Madura  city  is  of  other 
departments;  and  Dr.  Chester,  a  thoroughly  edu- 
cated medical  man,  and  also  an  ordained  clergy- 
man, is  the  missionary  who  superintends  it. 

This  morning  we  were  astir  betimes,  and  after 
the  early  cup  of  tea,  which  only  dwellers  in  the 
tropics  know  how  to  appreciate,  we  joined  our 
host  outside,  and  off  we  started  to  make  the  round 
of  the  station  and  the  mission  premises.  What  a 
joyous  morning  it  was — fresh,  cheery,  and  exhil- 
arating !    The  birds  were  in  full  chorus  and  the 


DINDIGAL.     ITS  MEDICAL  MISSION.  Ill 

sun  came  mounting  up  from  behind  the  hills  into 
the  pearly  sky  with  a  gladsomeness  that  was  quite 
infectious.  It  was  deliciously  cool;  this  plateau 
stands  high,  and  the  temperature  was  down  to  58°. 

In  situation  Dindigal  is  exceedingly  pretty. 
The  plain,  which  is  green  and  well  wooded,  is  a 
wide  amphitheatre,  almost  entirely  surrounded  by 
fine  ranges  of  mountains,  the  chief  being  the 
Sira-malis  and  Lower  Pulneys.  But  the  most 
striking  object  and  one  which  at  once  attracts 
attention  is  the  curious  Dindigal  Rock,  which 
stands  quite  by  itself  near  the  native  city.  It  is  a 
great  solid  mass  of  granite,  I  think,  bare  and 
brown  and  isolated,  and  you  wonder  if  this  curi- 
ous natural  fortress  is  really  nature's  own  work- 
manship. Man  has  certainly  taken  advantage  of 
it  and  utilized  it  for  his  own  purposes.  The  face 
of  the  rock  is  strongly  fortified  and  its  firm  old 
walls  and  ramparts  look  as  if  they  could  still  re- 
sist many  a  martial  shock. 

In  ancient  days  this  fort  was  an  important 
strategical  position  and  was  often  the  scene  of 
tough  encounters  between  the  Marathas  and  the 
people  of  Mysore.  In  1755  Hyder  Ali  garrisoned 
it,  and  afterwards  it  was  greatly  strengthened 
by  Tippoo-Sultan,  from  whom  finally,  in  1792, 
the  British  took  it.  The  summit  is  crowned  by 
some  temples  with  their  tall  pagoda-towers,  and 


112  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


altogether  it  is  a  most  picturesque  and  striking 
feature  in  the  scene.  At  the  base  a  bit  of  green 
esplanade  stretches,  very  like  a  village  common 
at  home. 

We  drove  through  the  native  town,  which  has 
wide  streets  wonderfully  clean,  where  the  differ- 
ent castes  live  in  separate  quarters.  The  Brah- 
man street  looked  particularly  tidy,  with  neat 
little  houses  and  a  stone  bench  built  in  in  front, 
where  the  men  were  sitting,  wrapped  in  their 
"cloths,"  sunning  themselves. 

Dr.  Chester's  work  is  very  interesting  and 
varied.  He  is  obliged  to  exercise  the  functions 
of  an  ordinary  missionary,  preaching,  itinerating, 
etc.,  and  dispensing  the  sacraments  in  places  con- 
nected with  his  district  where  there  is  no  ordained 
native  helper.  But  the  chief  interest  lies  in  his 
medical  work,  the  organization  of  which  seems 
perfect.  He  took  us  over  his  dispensary,  which 
stands  in  a  large  compound  with  its  well-stocked 
drugstore,  its  waiting-rooms  and  surgery,  to  which 
are  attached  an  apothecary,  a  good  staff  of  dressers, 
and  other  assistants.  We  then  saw  his  rest-house, 
where  there  is  accommodation  for  people  of  four 
different  castes  while  waiting  for  treatment,  and 
then  his  Cottage  Hospitals  with  native  Christian 
nurses  in  attendance.  He  favors  the  plan  of 
cottage  hospitals,  and  has  several  small  bunga- 


DINDIGAL.     ITS  MEDICAL  MISSION.  II3 


lows  as  wards,  affording  accommodation  also  for 
a  few  convalescent  patients.  In  the  department 
specially  set  apart  for  women  Dr.  Chester  intro- 
dnced  us  to  a  very  intelligent,  pleasing  woman, 
a  native  Christian,  the  head  matron  of  the  Lying- 
in  Hospital.  She  is  thoroughly  trained  and 
holds  a  diploma  from  the  Government  Medical 
vSchool  in  Madras,  and  is  quite  capable  of  herself 
conducting  difficult  and  dangerous  cases.  There 
are  two  other  such  native  Christian  nurses,  who 
are  employed  in  district  hospitals.  Finally  the 
doctor  introduced  us  to  his  medical  school,  in 
which  there  arc  thirty  students  occupying  three 
class-rooms;  and  bright,  intelligent,  young  fellows 
they  looked.  Most  are  Christians;  there  are  few 
Hindoos;  but  I  noticed  only  one  who  had  an 
idolatrous  mark  on  his  forehead.  The  students 
are  admitted  after  a  competitive  examination. 
The  course  of  study  is  for  three  years;  and  the 
young  men  who  pass  out,  after  thorough  exami- 
nations, are  appointed  as  hospital  assistants  to 
stations  generally  connected  with  the  mission. 
Who  can  tell  the  good  which  may  result  when 
these  fully-trained  young  men  go  forth  among 
the  people  and  new  branch  dispensaries  arc  set 
up  and  additional  hospitals  established?  Their 
medical  skill  will  open  every  heathen  door  to 
them;  and  nmre  than  this,  many  a  heathen  heart 

hcCQUH  111  Suulliciit  IiMlla.  3 


114  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 

will  be  opened,  and  people  will  be  led  to  the 
Physician  of  souls.  I  hope  the  time  will  come 
when  a  medical  department  will  be  connected 
with  every  mission.  Surely  none  should  be  con- 
sidered complete  until  a  dispensary  stands  side  by 
side'with  the  schoolroom  and  the  church. 

Dr.  Chester  has  already  ten  branch  dispensa- 
ries in  different  parts  of  the  district,  all  of  which 
he  personally  superintends,  and  their  number  is 
increased  as  students  are  prepared  to  take  charge 
of  them.  The  number  of  cases  treated  in  the 
whole  mission  in  the  past  year  was  over  46,000. 

We  next  paid  a  visit  to  the  church,  and  were 
introduced  to  the  native  pastor,  Mr.  Colton,  a 
superior,  earnest  man,  with  whom  we  had  much 
cheering  intercourse.  He  told  us  of  his  schools, 
especially  of  his  large  Sunday-school,  which  is 
attended  by  heathen  and  Mohammedan  as  well 
as  Christian  children,  all  of  whom  alike  are 
taught  a  great  deal  of  Scripture  by  heart.  Some 
of  these  heathen  children  intelligently  refuse  to 
worship  the  idol  when  there  is  any  festival  in 
their  village.  This  pastor  is  supported  entirely 
by  his  congregation. 

I  noticed  that  all  the  buildings  were  substan- 
tial, clean,  airy,  and  well  ventilated,  but  exceed- 
ingly plain  and  suited  to  the  occupants.  There 
is  no  needless  expenditure  anywhere;  and  Dr. 


DINDIGAL.     ITS  MEDICAL  MISSION.  I15 


Chester,  though  he  does  not  refuse  his  services 
when  called  in  as  a  medical  man,  never  accepts  a 
fee. 

Before  leaving  Dindigal  we  paid  a  visit  to 
the  Training-school  of  the  Christian  Vernacular 
Education  Society,  of  which  Mr.  Evans  is  Prin- 
cipal. There  seems  to  be  rather  a  deficiency  of 
accommodation,  which  this  important  and  useful 
Society  ought  to  increase.  My  husband  had  been 
requested  by  the  society  at  home  to  see  their  semi- 
naries in  India  as  far  as  possible,  and  he  was 
greatly  pleased  with  this  one  at  Dindigal.  Mr. 
Evans  evidently  labors  for  and  with  his  pupils,  a 
good  many  of  whom  are  native  Christians.  Some 
of  the  missions  send  their  young  men  here  to  be 
trained,  after  which  they  return  to  their  stations 
as  teachers.  The  students  gave  us  specimens  of 
their  power  of  teaching,  which  were  very  amu- 
sing, as  they  tried  to  puz;zle  each  other  and  then 
criticised  the  questioner.  This  system  must  make 
them  very  sharp.  They  also  sang  some  hymns 
and  lyrics  both  in  Tamil  and  English. 

This  Christian  Vernacular  Education  Society 
does  indeed  a  most  important  work  in  India — its 
master-spirit  being  our  friend  Dr.  Murdoch,  whose 
indefatigable  labors  as  secretary  have  mainly 
helped  to  make  the  society  the  valuable  institu- 
tion it  is.    It  dates  back  to  1857  when  it  was  cs- 


Il6  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDI;». 

tablishcd  directly  after  the  Mutiny.  It  trains 
teachers,  supports  primary  schools,  sends  forth 
colporters  who  sell  many  thousand  copies  of  the 
Scriptures  and  other  publications  during  the  year; 
while  Dr.  IMurdoch  scatters  his  admirable  series 
of  schoolbooks  broadcast  over  the  land,  and  is 
always  producing  something  new  and  fresh  in 
other  useful  books.  The  society  has  three  great 
training  institutions,  one  at  Ahmednagar,  one  in 
the  Punjaub,  and  this  one  in  Dindigal. 

Altogether  we  had  a  busy  day  in  the  hands  of 
our  energetic  host,  including  a  visit  to  Mrs.  Ches- 
ter's boarding-school,  full  of  bright  Christian  girls. 
We  felt  to  the  full  how  stimulating  it  is  to  come 
in  contact  with  men  of  large  views  and  undaunted 
spirit,  full  of  practical  wisdom  too,  like  these  mis- 
sionaries, w^ho  seem  to  know  no  difficulty.  This 
is  one  of  the  things  Dr.  Chester  says:  "Be  sure 
you  are  right,  then  go  ahead.  This  will  make 
any  mission  plan  a  success,  while  croakers  and 
drones  go  to  their  graves  still  fearing  to  put  their 
fingers  to  it.  It  is  the  '  go-ahcad '  as  well  as  the 
'  be  sure  you  are  right '  which  is  needed  in  India 
in  every  part  of  the  mission  work." 

I  commend  these  words  to  the  careful  consid- 
eration of  all  who  have  to  do  with  mission  work 
at  home  as  well  as  on  the  foreign  field. 

After  au  early  dinner  we  were  again  cn  route, 


DINDIGAL.     ITS  MEDICAL  MISSION.  II7 

accompanied  by  the  younger  Mr.  Chandler,  who 
was  returning  to  his  home;  and  by  the  time  the 
sun  was  sinking  towards  the  western  hills  we  had 
taken  our  places  in  the  train  corresponding  to 
that  which  we  had  quitted  24  hours  before.  We 
had  a  sunset  of  singular  beauty,  and  the  mountain 
ranges  looked  inexpressibly  grand  in  their  dark 
blue  outline  beneath  a  sky  full  of  the  most  exqui- 
site and  gorgeous  color.  A  broad  line  of  deep 
blood  red  lay  along  the  horizon,  shading  off  up- 
wards into  glowing  amber  and  then  to  the  most 
delicate  lemon  tints  and  aqua-marine,  until  all 
color  was  lost  in  the  darkening  upper  sky,  where 
by-and-by  the  cheery  stars  came  twinkling  out 
one  by  one. 

Mr.  Chandler  pointed  out  the  Higher  Pulneys 
as  we  came  in  sight  of  them  in  the  darkening  dis- 
tance, where  the  coffee  and  cinchona  are  largely 
cultivated.  There  is  a  delightful  sanitarium 
somewhere  on  the  summits,  which  the  American 
Board,  with  its  usual  consideration,  has  provided 
for  its  missionaries.  In  the  height  of  the  hot 
season  each  mission  family  can  escape  to  these 
charming  hills  and  have  two  months  of  coolness 
and  rest.  This  sanitarium  was  established  when 
wild  elephants  and  tigers  were  still  the  chief  in- 
habitants. But  now  many  other  residents  are  at- 
tracted from  the  plains  by  the  pleasauter  climate 


Il8  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 

of  the  mountains  during  the  hottest  portion  of  the 
year.  When  we  came  to  his  station  ]\Ir.  Chand- 
ler left  us,  driving  away  into  the  darkness  to  his 
dwelling,  lying  twelve  miles  off  in  some  valley 
behind  the  giant  wall  of  hills.  How  I  wished  we 
could  have  gone  with  him  to  see  his  wife  and 
work  and  mission  home  !    But  it  could  not  be. 

A  long  sweep  round  the  base  of  the  Sira-malis 
concluded  our  two  and  a  half  hours'  journey,  and 
we  glided  into  the  station  at  Madura.  Late  as  it 
was,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Rendall,  head  of  this  branch 
of  the  mission,  awaited  us.  After  a  good  two 
miles'  drive,  chiefly  through  an  extensive  native 
city  with  very  wide  and  very  dark  streets,  we 
passed  a  handsome  white  church,  which  Mr.  Ren- 
dall pointed  out  as  his  own,  then  turned  into  a 
large  compound  and  stopped  under  the  well-light- 
ed, hospitable-looking  porch  of  the  mission-house. 
Here  Miss  Rendall  was  waiting  to  receive  us,  and 
the  welcome  tea  was  ready  spread  in  the  room 
within. 

Mr.  Rendall  is  a  widower,  and  he  and  his 
daughter  live  and  work  together.  He  has  la- 
bored in  this  mission  since  1834.  These  short  so- 
journs in  the  homes  of  the  missionaries  make  one 
of  the  most  delightful  and  enjoyable  parts  "of  our 
tour  and  certainly  will  furnish  some  of  its  pleas- 
antest  memories. 


MADURA  AND  ITS  MISSIONS. 


119 


CHAPTER  IX. 

MADURA  AND  ITS  MISSIONS. 

The  day  after  our  arrival  in  Madura  was  Sun- 
day. My  husband  had  happily  arranged  that  we 
should  have  a  Sabbath  in  this  important  centre, 
that  we  might  see  the  Sabbath  work;  for  this  is 
the  headquarters  of  the  great  American  Madura 
Mission,  generally  called  by  its  own  Board,  the 
American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign 
Missions,  "the  model  mission." 

I  was  too  tired,  after  our  grand  field  day  at 
Dindigal,  to  be  quite  in  time  to  accompany  the 
rest  of  the  party  to  the  early  morning  service  in 
the  native  church ;  but  by-and-by,  hearing  a 
lady's  voice  outside  inquiring  for  me,  I  hurried 
out  and  found  Mrs.  Capron,  a  lady  I  was  glad  in- 
deed to  meet.  Her  name  is  a  familiar  one  in  con- 
nection with  woman's  work  in  India.  Her  hus- 
band was  one  of  the  early  Madura  missionaries; 
but  he  died;  and  instead  of  abandoning  the  field 
she  only  saw  a  new  call  in  her  less  occupied  life 
to  devote  herself  more  entirely  to  God's  work 
among  her  poor  heathen  sisters.  She  sent  her 
children  home  to  America  to  be  educated,  and  has 


I20  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


ever  since  labored  in  Madura,  and  with  wonderful 
success.  Her  work  is  very  varied;  she  teaches  in 
the  zenanas,  conducts  a  dispensary  in  connection 
with  Dr.  Chester,  has  several  day-schools,  and  re- 
ceives many  women  in  her  own  house. 

She  and  I  soon  became  friends,  and  we  sallied 
forth  together.  She  led  me  through  the  spacious 
compound,  which  has  within  its  wide  inclosure 
the  complete  paraphernalia  of  a  mission.  Beside 
the  mission-house  stands  the  bungalow  occupied 
by  Mrs.  Capron  and  her  assistant  lady  missionary; 
then  come  the  dispensary,  the  dressers'  premises, 
and  other  houses.  On  the  opposite  side  are  Miss 
Kendall's  day  and  boarding  schools,  including  a 
handsome  and  commodious  building  just  erected 
to  provide  class-rooms  for  her  higher  school.  It 
makes  a  capital  public  hall  also  for  all  manner  of 
purposes,  and  is  called  the  Otis  Hall  because  it 
was  built  by  a  grant  from  a  munificent  legacy  of 
a  million  dollars  left  by  a  Mr.  Otis  to  the  Ameri- 
can Board  at  Boston  to  aid  them  in  their  great 
missionary  undertakings. 

Mrs.  Capron  and  I  hurried  to  the  Tamil  ser- 
vice and  entered  the  large  church  we  had  passed 
the  evening  before  when  driving  in.  It  was 
closely  packed  throughout  by  a  congregation  of 
well-dressed  men  and  women  seated  separately. 
Miss  Kendall's  sixty-six  Christian  schoolgirls  oc- 


MADURA  AND  ITS  MISSIONS.  121 


cupied  one  section,  seated  closely  packed  on  the 
floor;  she  herself  had  been  presiding  at  the  organ 
and  my  husband  was  preaching  with  great  anima- 
tion in  English,  being  interpreted  by  a  fine-look- 
ing, oldish  man,  whom  we  found  afterwards  to  be 
Pastor  Cornelius.  Responses  were  used  and  the 
service  was  a  good  deal  liturgical,  though  the 
prayers  were  not  read.  The  music  was  excellent, 
the  hymns  being  partly  English  and  partly  Tamil 
lyrics  with  native  tunes. 

After  all  was  over  the  pleasant-looking  people 
crowded  round  us,  and  we  had  much  talk  and 
shaking  of  hands.  Some  of  the  fine  young  men 
whom  we  saw  conduct  the  weekly  praj  er-meeting 
by  turns  and  spend  the  Sunday  afternoons  in  going 
out  among  the  villages  and  districts,  preaching 
the  Word  and  holding  prayer-meetings.  Some  of 
the  young  women  meet  in  the  girls'  school  every 
week  and  have  prayer  together,  and  there  seems 
to  be  generally  a  vitality  of  faith  and  love  among 
these  Christians  and  a  good  deal  of  spiritual  life, 
which  is  refreshing  to  see. 

A  strange  prophecy  had  gone  forth  somehow 
that  the  Lord's  second  advent  was  to  take  place 
in  the  end  of  1881,  and  there  was  a  widespread 
expectancy  and  excitement  all  over  South  India. 
Some  people  left  off  work  and  said  and  did  other 
foolish  things;  but  the  movement  had  this  effect, 


122 


SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


that  the  heathen  were  roused  as  well  as  the  Chris- 
tians, and  many  began  to  inquire  and  to  read  and 
study  the  Christians'  Bible  to  find  out  what  it  had 
to  say  on  the  point.  The  missionaries  hope  that, 
though  the  excitement  has  passed  away,  the  inter- 
est in  the  Bible  continues  and  will  yet  lead  some 
to  Christ. 

After  breakfast  Dr.  Mitchell  went  to  the  Sun- 
day-school in  connection  with  Mr,  Kendall's  Eng- 
lish city  school  and  again  gave  an  address.  He 
says  there  were  a  good  many  Brahman  lads  pres- 
ent, who  were  as  sharp  as  needles,  but  did  not  cavil 
nearly  as  much  as  a  similar  class  in  Maharashtra 
would  have  done.  I  spent  most  of  the  morning 
with  Mrs.  Capron,  hearing  about  her  work,  in  the 
special  sanctum  where  she  receives  private  visits 
from  her  "dear  women,"  as  she  calls  them.  I 
sat  at  her  feet  and  learned  much  from  her.  She 
is  a  grave,  earnest,  middle-aged  woman,  her  whole 
face  and  manner  being  expressive  of  calm,  sub- 
dued power  and  purpose.  Her  work  is  systemat- 
ically and  beautifully  arranged,  not  only  her  own, 
but  that  of  the  six  Bible-women  she  employs. 
She  could  not  do  half  she  does  but  for  her  great 
power  of  organization  and  perfect  system.  Five 
hundred  women  in  her  zenanas  are  now  learning 
to  read  the  Bible,  and  the  extraordinary  number 
of  over  fifteen  thousand  have  had  the  liible  read 


MADURA  AND  ITS  MISSIONS. 


123 


to  them  by  herself  and  her  Bibie-women  during 
the  past  year.  Surely  this  sowing  of  the  seed 
broadcast  must  soon  produce  its  fruit  in  souls 
saved  and  brought  to  the  feet  of  Christ. 

Besides  this  zenana  visitation  she  has  four  day- 
schools,  some  of  which  I  had  the  pleasure  of  vis- 
iting, and  in  one  helped  to  give  aw^ay  some  little 
gifts  as  prizes,  which  greatly  delighted  the  bonny 
little  brown  bairnies,  who  gathered  in  great  num- 
bers in  the  upper  schoolroom  where  they  were  dis- 
tributed. Her  pupils,  old  and  young,  all  seem  to 
be  very  fond  of  her  and  to  trust  her  perfectly. 
She  has  an  additional  hold  of  them  through  her 
medical  knowledge  and  the  dispensing  of  medi- 
cine, which  takes  place  every  morning.  How 
she  manages  it  all  I  cannot  tell. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  parts  of  her  work 
consists  in  the  visits  the  women  pay  to  her,  for 
here  happily  the  women  are  not  so  secluded  as  in 
some  other  parts  and  may  venture  forth  from  their 
zenanas.  She  told  me  many  anecdotes  of  these 
visits,  which  show  most  encouraging  progress  and 
inquiry'  among  the  people.  One  dying  woman  in 
a  heathen  home  said  to  her  the  other  day,  "I  am 
thinking  so  much  of  the  thief  on  the  cross  beside 
Jesus.  He  said  to  him,  '■To-day  you  will  be  with 
me  in  heaven.'  Oh,  do  you  think  he  will  say 
this  to  me  on  this  my  last  dying  day  ?"  Another 


124  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 

woman,  when  reproached  by  her  priest  for  giving 
up  idolatry,  retorted,  ''Which  of  our  gods  have 
suffered  anything  for  us?  See  what  the  Chris- 
tians' Christ  has  suffered  for  them?"  She  had 
read  Luke's  Gospel  with  Mrs.  Capron.  Another 
intelligent  woman,  not  a  Christian,  but  one  whom 
she  had  instructed  for  some  time,  havincr  no  chil- 
dren  and  plenty  of  leisure,  interested  herself  in 
the  daughters  of  a  neighbor's  family.  She  got 
them  to  come  to  her  house,  bought  books  for 
them,  and  taught  them  to  read.  When  they  were 
sufficiently  advanced  to  read  the  Bible  she  per- 
suaded them  to  become  pupils  of  the  Mem-Sahib 
and  handed  them  over  to  Mrs.  Capron. 

Another  of  her  pupils,  who  had  been  obliged 
to  go  to  a  neighboring  city,  returned  after  a  time 
and  said  to  her,  '  There  I  found  the  water  good 
and  the  air  good,  but  here  I  receive  the  living 
water,  and  it  is  good  to  come  back."  The  morn- 
ing I  was  sitting  with,  her  she  received  a  most 
touching  letter  from  one  of  her  pupils,  a  heathen 
woman,  telling  her  of  the  death  of  the  husband  of 
a  friend.  She  expresses  great  grief,  for  now  her 
friend  is  a  widow  (and  we  all  know  what  that 
means);  "but,"  she  adds,  "she  knows  Christ  as 
her  ref;:ge;  he  will  comfort  her."  Is  not  this  re- 
markable language  for  one  not  a  professed  Chris- 
tian to  use?    But  she  must  be  a  Christian  in 


MADURA  AND  ITS  MISSIONS. 


heart;  probably  one  of  His  hidden  ones,  of  whom 
there  are  many,  I  believe,  to  be  found  in  the 
homes  of  India.  Another  woman  won  her  unbe- 
lieving husband  to  Christ  by  inducing-  him  when 
very  ill  to  listen  to  IMrs.  Capron  as  she  knelt 
down  and  offered  itp  earnest  prayer  for  him  by 
what  seemed  to  be  his  dying  bed. 

In  her  schools  and  houses  Mrs.  Capron  has  200 
subscribers  for  a  Sunday-school  magazine.  Her 
chief  work,  and  that  of  her  Bible-women,  always 
is  teaching,  expounding,  and  reading  to  the  wo- 
men the  Word  of  God.  Every  other  kind  of  in- 
struction has  a  secondary  place.  She  gives  them 
text-cards  also,  from  which  they  learn  verses  by 
heart;  and  this  bears  its  own  fruit.  She  is  by  no 
means  alone  in  this  work  for  women.  •  It  is  dili- 
gently prosecuted  by  all  the  missionaries'  wives  in 
the  various  districts  and  a  large  staff  of  Bible-wo- 
men and  zenana  teachers.  The  converting  power 
of  God's  own  simple  Word,  carried  home  by  the 
Holy  Spirit,  is  often  seen  in  a  striking  and  unex- 
pected way  among  the  people  even  in  remote  vil- 
lages. This  is  partly  from  her  work  and  that  of 
other  ladies  in  other  places  and  partly  from  the 
constant  labors  of  the  preachers  and  evangelists. 
Cases  arc  discovered  by  the  missionaries  in  which 
idolatry  has  been  abandoned  and  the  almost  "  un- 
known God  "  worshipiK'd  instead,  simply  from 


126 


SCENES  IN 


SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


having  been  listeners  to  Bible-reading  at  some 
time  or  other.  Some  are  so  afraid  of  the  influ- 
ence of  this  wonderful  Book  that  they  frankly  say 
they  cannot  continue  to  listen.  They  say  too  that 
since  the  famine  the  gods  themselves  are  afraid 
their  power  is  departing  and  have  gone  off  to  the 
jungles  and  mountains. 

There  is  constant  itineracy  -going  on  through- 
out the  province,  and  there  is  much  encourage- 
ment in  j)reaching  the  Word.  Mr.  Rendall  says 
over  300,000  people  are  having  the  gospel  preached 
to  them.  jNIuch  use  is  made  of  singing  and  the 
people  are  greatly  attracted  by  it,  especially  when 
lyrics  are  vised.  Dr.  Sutton,  of  Orissa,  says,  "The 
people  here  are  fast  singing  away  their  prejudi- 
ces." So  may  it  be  said  of  the  IMadura  district. 
The  lyrics  are  sung  to  native  tunes,  or,  rather,  are 
chanted,  with  a  monotonous  refrain  which  is  high- 
ly pleasing  to  native  taste. 

One  could  not  help  being  struck  with  the 
completeness  and  thorough  nature  of  the  work  in 
every  department  of  this  mission.  The  schools 
for  both  bo}'s  and  girls  are  admirable,  and  the 
buildings  and  arrangements  the  same.  I  have 
already  referred  to  Miss  Rendall's  institution. 
Her  boarding-school  is  altogether  for  the  daugh- 
ters of  native  Christians  and  the  agents  of  the 
mission,  and  every  missionary  lady  has  her  own 


MADURA  AND  ITS  MISSIONS.  I27 

boarding-school  at  her  own  station.  Thus  the 
children  of  the  native  Christians  are  all  well 
trained  and  educated,  a  most  important  matter; 
and  good  Christian  workers  are  also  trained  and 
sent  out  to  villages  and  districts  as  teachers,  Bible- 
women,  etc.,  according  to  their  ability  or  fitness. 
Miss  Rendall  teaches  up  to  the  middle  standard 
and  receives  a  large  grant  from  Government. 
Fourteen  different  castes  are  represented  in  her 
day-schools,  but  caste  is  not  observed  in  any  way 
in  the  mission.  All  church  members  sit  promis- 
cuously at  the  Lord's  tabl.e;  but  the  different 
castes  do  not  care  to  intermarry.  Some  mission- 
aries think  it  is  as  well  for  social  reasons  that 
they  should  not  do  so  at  present. 

And  yet,  prosperous  as  this  mission  is,  here  as 
elsewhere  the  cry  is.  How  much  more  might  be 
done  if  funds  were  forthcoming !  Alas,  every- 
where devoted  missionaries  seem  crushed  by  the 
word  "retrench."  "We  cannot  send  means  we 
have  not  got,"  say  the  Boards.  It  is  true,  they 
cannot.  Then  let  me  say  to  Christian  friends  who 
love  the  work  and  who  can  give  the  means  that 
now  missionaries  are  heart-stricken  in  presence  of 
a  work  they  might  do,  but  cannot  even  touch, 
having  resolutely  to  shut  their  cars  to  the  cry, 
"Come  over  and  help  us,"  because  they  have  not 
the  means.    They  are  like  generals  in  front  of  an 


128  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


enemy's  position,  which  they  feel  they  could  carry 
if  only  men  and  means,  the  sinews  of  war,  were 
sufficiently  placed  at  their  disposal.  Oh,  that 
Christian  and  philanthropic  people  in  Britain  and 
America  would  but  lay  this  to  heart ! 

Madura  was  and  is  the  seat  of  one  of  the  chief 
Roman-catholic  missions  in  India.  The  fame  of 
Xavier  has  naturally  eclipsed  that  of  all  other 
Romish  missionaries,  but  it  would  be  wrong  to 
forget  the  labors  of  such  men  as  Roberto  de  No- 
bili  and  Beschi.  The  former,  a  nephew  of  the 
celebrated  Cardinal  Bellarminc,  labored  from 
1606.  The  natives  called  him  TatwabodJiak-Szva- 
ini^  or  the  "philosophical  teacher."  The  moral 
character  of  some  of  the  proceedings  of  the  Jesuit 
missionaries  has  been  vehemently  assailed  by  Ro- 
manists as  well  as  Protestants;  but  it  is  unneces- 
sary to  enter  on  this  painful  subject  here.  There 
is  a  handsome  modern  Roman -catholic  church 
close  by,  which  my  husband  has  seen.  It  contains 
a  good  many  pictures,  including  two  or  three  por- 
traits of  Xavier.  The  priests  do  not  preach  in 
public  or  in  the  streets;  their  services  are  all  con- 
ducted in  their  churches  ;  but  processions  are  nu- 
merous, when  images  are  carried  about  through 
the  city. 

Since  this  delightful  visit  to  Madura  was  paid, 
our  dear  friend  who  then  so  kindly  entertained  us 


MADURA  AND  ITS  MISSIONS.  1 29 

has  been  called  to  his  rest.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Ren- 
dall  died  towards  the  end  of  1S83.  When  we  saw 
liini  he  seemed  in  vigorous  health,  and  one  could 
not  but  hope  that  many  days  of  faithful  work  for 
his  beloved  mission  were  still  before  him.  But 
the  Master  has  seen  fit  to  order  it  otherwise  and 
to  summon  his  servant  home.  His  loss  is  deeply 
and  increasingly  felt  by  his  associates,  and  he  is 
most  truly  mourned  by  the  whole  native  Chris- 
tian community. 

In  a  memorial  address  by  Dr.  Chester,  of  Din- 
digal,  he  says  of  this  admirable  missionar}- : 
"Love  was  the  secret  of  Mr.  Rendall's  power  as 
a  Christian  and  as  a  missionary.  A  more  unself- 
ish man  never  lived   His  whole  wish  was 

to  see  the  kingdom  of  the  heavenly  Master  come, 
and  come  speedily,  in  India  and  in  the  Madura 
district.  Every  meeting  he  attended,  the  work 
of  every  committee  of  which  he  was  a  member, 
every  letter  he  wrote,  every  sermon  he  preached, 
and  every  address  he  made  proved  this." 


Arenra  In  nonl)if<ni  ]n<lli 


9 


130  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 

CHAPTER  X. 

MADURA  AND  ITS  TEMPLES. 

Besides  the  missions  there  is  much  to  interest 
iu  this  curious  old  place.  Madura  was  once  the 
capital  of  a  great  and  powerful  kingdom,  having 
a  stirring  history,  like  most  of  its  neighbors;  and 
it  is  still  a  remarkable  and  extensive  city.  It 
abounds  in  temples,  palaces,  fine  old  tanks,  tow- 
ers and  cupolas,  and  other  striking  architectural 
monuments.  These  amply  testify  to  the  great- 
ness of  its  past,  as  well  as  add  much  to  the  pic- 
turesqueness  of  its  present.  It  has  also  a  good 
deal  of  natural  beauty.  The  modern  city  covers 
an  immense  area,  and  has  unusually  wide  streets, 
with  low,  whitewashed  houses  generally  orna- 
mented with  stripes  and  patches  of  color,  espe- 
cially in  the  Brahmans'  streets,  and  stone  benches 
built  on  to  the  houses,  where  }'0U  can  often  catch 
a  quaint  and  pleasing  picture  from  the  life  of  the 
people.  The  streets  are  wonderfully  clean  and 
tidy  and  tolerably  free  from  those  peculiar  odors— 
certainly  not  those  of  "  Araby  the  blest" — which 
usually  assail  one  in  Indian  cities.  There  a'-e 
open  spaces  here  and  there  full  of  greenness  and 


MADURA  AND  ITS  TEMPLES. 


sunshine;  long  wide  avenues  fringed  with  beauti- 
ful trees;  great  groves  of  the  palmyra  palm;  large, 
park-like  compounds,  where  the  Europeans  re- 
side; and,  in  the  midst  of  all,  paddy-fields  curious- 
ly intermingling  with  the  streets  and  buildings,  so 
that  the  whole  place  looks  framed  in  richest  green; 
while  the  lofty  goparams^  or  pagoda-towers  of  the 
temples,  rise  majestically  and  with  most  pictu- 
resque effect  over  the  whole. 

It  must  have  been  a  splendid  city  in  the  days 
of  the  famous  Tirumalai  Naik,  who  reigned  in  the 
seventeenth  century,  and  who  did  much  for  the 
strengthening  and  beautifying  of  his  capital. 
Even  now  it  is  the  finest  city  of  South  India. 
The  oldest  parts  date  from  the  time  of  the  Pan- 
dyan  kings,  before  the  Christian  era. 

A  flourishing  period  in  the  history  of  this  king- 
dom seems  to  have  been  about  the  first  or  second 
century  after  Christ,  when  the  famous  rishi,  or 
sage,  Agastya,  lived.  He  is  said  to  have  been  the 
introducer  of  Brahmanical  civilization  into  South 
India.  His  exploit  in  leading  a  colony  of  Brah- 
mans  southward  is  mentioned  in  the  Sanscrit 
poem,  the  "Ramayan;"  but  the  date  — indeed, 
everything  about  this  enlightened  personage,  said 
to  have  been  the  offspring  of  two  gods — is  most 
uncertain,  if  not  mythical.  A  learned  author  calls 
him  "  the  fabled  civilizcr  of  the  South." 


132  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 

Very  early  this  morning,  while  it  was  still 
cool,  our  kind  host,  accompanied  by  one  or  two 
of  his  native  assistants,  took  us  out  to  see  the  far- 
famed  pagoda,  the  finest  temple,  I  suppose,  in  all 
India.  Certainly  none  of  those  we  have  seen, 
even  in  the  holiest  cities  of  the  Hindoos  in  other 
parts  of  India,  at  all  approach  this  one  in  gran- 
deur and  extent  and  also  in  the  value  of  its  en- 
dowments and  its  jewels.  But  how  shall  I  de- 
scribe this  extraordinary  place  in  all  its  curious 
and  endless  ramifications?  What  seems  to  re- 
main in  the  mind  of  the  wonderful  things  which 
go  to  make  up  this  gorgeous  temple  is  a  confused 
and  bewildering  recollection  of  halls  and  corridors 
and  labyrinthine  passages,  cloisters  and  crypts 
and  shrines,  with  all  their  puzzling  native  names, 
grotesque  deities,  grifiins,  and  quaint  hybrid  crea- 
tures carved  in  stone  and  wood,  gilding  and  paint- 
ing and  carving  and  pictures,  and  strange  archi- 
tecture such  as  one  had  never  seen  before,  while 
the  notes,  hurriedly  taken  on  the  spot,  only  seem 
at  the  first  look  to  make  "confusion  worse  con- 
founded." 

This  great  fabric  covers  20  acres  of  ground 
and  is  surrounded  by  a  lofty  brick  wall,  forming 
a  perfect  square  and  ornamented  by  red  and  white 
stripes,  the  holy  color  of  the  Hindoos.  It  is  dedi- 
cated to  the  god  Shiva  and  his  wife  Minakshi,  or 


MADURA  AND  ITS  TEMPLES. 


"the  fish-eyed  goddess;"  probably,  my  husband 
says,  an  aboriginal  deity,  who  has  been  identified 
with  Durga  of  Bengal  and  Par^'ati  of  Western  In- 
dia, the  wives  of  Shiva.  As  you  approach  the 
mighty  fane  what  you  are  first  struck  with  are 
the  grand  goparams^  or  towers,  which  are  pyra- 
midal in  structure  and  are  peculiar  to  this  Dravi- 
dian  style  of  architecture.  These  are  very  lofty 
and  massive,  in  shape  a  truncated  cone,  gorgeous- 
ly carved  and  colored  and  ornamented,  the  sum- 
mit being  crowned  with  a  fan-shaped  erection  like 
the  hood  of  a  snake.  The  entire  cone  is  covered, 
row  on  row  and  tier  on  tier,  with  elaborately 
carved  Hindoo  deities.  Many  thousands  of  the 
gods  of  the  Hindoo  Pantheon  are  thus  sculptured 
on  the  exteriors  of  these  pagoda-towers.  I  forget 
how  many  towers  there  are  connected  with  this 
temple,  but  they  rise  over  the  gateways,  ornament 
the  four  comers  of  the  walls,  crown  the  inferior 
shrines,  and  from  one  point  near  the  sacred  tank  I 
counted  thirteen  visible  at  once,  two  or  more  of 
which  were  covered  with  gold  and  gleamed  with 
dazzling  brightness  in  the  sunlight. 

We  entered  the  main  edifice  by  a  huge,  mas- 
sive, carved  gateway  of  tcakwood,  guarded  on 
each  side  by  the  most  fantastic  mythological  fig- 
ures sculptured  in  stone.  Opposite  the  gateway 
are  four  lofty  pillars  or  shafts,  45  feet  high  and 


134  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 

sunk  15  feet  below  the  surface  of  the  ground, 
most  beautifully  carved,  and  each  composed  of  a 
single  stone.  Entering  we  found  ourselves  in  a 
handsome  court  called  the  Mandapam^  a  sort  of 
arcade,  with  a  stone  roof  supported  by  rows  of 
fine  pillars,  ending  in  a  raised  dais  or  throne,  the 
canopy  of  which  is  supported  by  lovely  spiral  col- 
umns of  highly-polished  black  basalt.  This  outer 
court  is  used  as  a  place  of  merchandise,  putting 
one  in  mind  of  the  gospel  narrative  of  those  who 
bought  and  sold  in  the  temple  who  were  cast  out 
by  Christ.  IMany  people  were  seated  cross-legged 
on  their  mats  beneath  the  arches,  with  all  manner 
of  wares  spread  out  around  them,  and  evidently 
doing  an  active  business. 

From  this  we  entered  another  hall  of  grand 
proportions,  within  which  is  the  chief  sanctuary, 
the  shrine  which  contains  the  sokaliiiga^  or  sacred 
symbol  of  the  god  Shiva.  Into  this  shrine  no  one 
is  allowed  to  penetrate  but  the  Brahman  priest. 
It  stands  beneath  a  golden  cupola,  two  huge,  fu- 
rious-looking creatures  keeping  fantastic  watch 
on  either  side  of  the  entrance.  Within  lights 
glimmer  in  the  darkness,  and  opposite  stands  a 
gigantic  Nmidi^  or  sacred  bull,  on  which  Shiva 
usually  rides,  also  in  black  basalt,  under  a  cano- 
py supported  by  four  slender  columns  most  exqui- 
sitely carved.    This  figure  is  surrounded  by  tall. 


MADURA  AND  ITS  TEMPLES. 


graceful  candelabra  in  gold,  and  in  front  is  a  gold- 
en altar.  The  elaborateness  of  the  workmanship 
everywhere  is  extraordinary,  and  the  lavish  ex- 
penditure which  must  be  practised  in  order  to 
keep  it  all  in  preservation  and  repair  is  equally 
surprising. 

From  this  we  wandered  over  corridors  and 
cloisters  of  immense  extent,  all  filled  with  curi- 
ous things  in  pictures  and  carvings,  absurd  figures 
in  every  fantastic  attitude,  with  elephants  and 
bulls,  peacocks  with  expanded  tails,  and  other 
creatures,  all  made  of  pure  gold,  ready  for  carry- 
ing forth  in  grand  procession  at  festival  times.  A 
fellow-tourist,  who  joined  our  party,  exclaimed, 
"What  grand  loot  for  the  Russians  when  they 
come!"  "Yes,  wJien  they  come,''''  we  replied. 
The  jewels  belonging  to  this  temple,  with  which 
the  gods  and  goddesses  are  decked  on  great  occa- 
sions, are  of  extraordinary  beauty  and  value. 

In  passing  through  one  long  aisle  we  disturbed 
a  numerous  colony  of  bats,  the  rush  of  their  flap- 
ping wings  making  the  most  dismal  sounds  in  the 
arched  roof  The  whole  place  too  was  filled  with 
the  horrid  din  of  tomtoms  and  the  shrill  noise  of 
pipes,  reverberating  through  the  weird  gloom  of 
the  passages  and  giving  one  quite  an  uncanny 
feeling.  At  one  place  we  came  on  a  reservoir 
filled  with  abominable  things  unutterable.  All 


136  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 

the  libations  poured  out  and  on  to  the  gods,  of 
holy  water,  oil,  ghee,  curd,  milk,  paint,  etc.,  flow 
in  one  loathsome  stream  into  this  reservoir,  where 
it  remains,  stagnant  and  poisonous.  Horrible  to 
tell,  this  disgusting  mixture  is  actually  drunk, 
partaken  of  by  devotees  and  their  dupes,  because 
it  is  said  to  cleanse  away  all  sin.  There  is  no 
crime,  however  dreadful  or  unnatural,  that  this 
potion  cannot  cleanse,  no  sin  so  unpardonable  but 
that,  if  this  is  imbibed,  the  offender  shall  be  for- 
given ! 

Is  there  any  depth  of  error  or  degradation  too 
low  for  the  human  mind  to  descend  to?  Would 
that  these  miserable  people  could  have  their  eyes 
opened  to  see  the  true  fountain  which  has  been 
opened  for  sin  and  uncleanness  and  learn  to  avail 
themselves  of  its  real  pardoning  and  purifying 
power ! 

Before  we  passed  from  the  temple  a  great  man 
arrived  in  grand  procession  to  worship.  He  had 
brought  some  holy  water  from  Mother  Gunga  to 
offer  to  the  god,  and,  being  a  rich  merchant  of  the 
Chetty  caste,  he  rode  on  an  elephant  gaudily  ca- 
parisoned in  gold  and  silver  trappings.  The  huge 
beast  strode  right  through  the  cloisters,  making 
the  people  fly  to  right  and  left,  flapped  his  great 
ears  and  tossed  his  trunk,  grunting  and  snorting 
as  if  he  did  not  half  like  his  mission.    The  great 


BELL  MnSIO  OSED  AT  DEVIL  WORSHIP- 


TA.NK   ,\\U    ll.Ml'Lli  Al'  MAUUKA. 


MADURA  AND  ITS  TKMPLES. 


man  was  accompanied  by  a  numerous  and  pictu- 
resque following,  carrying  red  umbrellas,  little 
brown  and  red  flags,  tails  of  the  yak  cow,  etc. 
As  we  walked  through  the  Hall  of  the  Thou- 
sand Pillars  we  were  accosted  by  some  holy  men 
smeared  all  over  with  ashes,  having  hardly  any 
other  covering,  who  did  not  at  all  seem  to  relish 
our  intrusion.  But  Mr.  Rendall  everywhere  was 
received  and  treated  with  perfect  respect. 

There  was  once  a  famous  school  of  poets  in 
connection  with  the  temple,  and  we  saw  the  clois- 
ter where  they  used  to  have  their  sittings.  Final- 
ly we  visited  the  famous  sacred  Tank  of  the  Gold- 
en Lotus.  It  is  a  sheet  of  dirty  green  water  with 
stone  steps  descending  to  it,  the  banks  being  also 
faced  with  stone.  A  broad,  terraced,  paved  walk 
goes  completely  round,  beneath  a  handsome  colon- 
nade of  beautiful  pillars  carv^ed  in  relief,  while  the 
whole  is  encircled  by  a  high  wall.  Men  were  busi- 
ly employed  all  along  this  wall,  standing  on  scaf- 
foldings, restoring  old  frescos  and  pictures  in  the 
gayest  coloring.  These  chiefly  represented  fights 
between  the  Brahmans  and  Jains,  a  quasi-Buddhist 
sect,  wherein  the  latter  always  seemed  to  come 
worst  off"  and  to  be  cruelly  maltreated,  as,  no 
doubt,  they  were  in  fact,  when  the  Hindoos  suc- 
ceeded in  almost  banishing  them  and  their  faith 
from  Madura,  where  they  were  once  paramount. 


138  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 

It  is  not  easy  to  find  out  the  exact  date  when 
this  temple  was  founded,  but  the  building  seems 
to  have  been  begun  before  the  Christian  era,  and 
is,  indeed,  of  all  ages,  having  been  added  to  at 
different  dates.  Whatever  its  origin  and  age, 
however,  its  fame  is  chiefly  bound  up  with  that 
of  Tirumalai  Naik,  who  added  to  the  original 
structure  some  of  its  finest  halls  and  shrines. 

The  palace  also,  which  we  next  visited,  is  as- 
sociated with  this  great  ruler.  He  built  it  and 
lived  in  it  when  it  was  in  all  its  glory.  Now, 
even  in  comparative  ruin,  it  is  a  magnificent 
building;  its  style  of  architecture,  which  is  quite 
different  from  that  of  the  pagoda,  being  a  mixture 
of  Hindoo  and  Saracenic.  Government  is  now 
liaving  it  extensively  and  carefully  restored,  and 
its  spacious  halls  are  to  be  utilized  for  public 
olBces.  As  you  enter  there  is  a  splendid  quad- 
rangular court,  with  side  aisles  which  have  roofs 
elaborately  carved  in  relief  with  mythological 
subjects  and  supported  by  double  rows  of  mas- 
sive granite  pillars,  coated  with  finely-polished 
chunam.  From  one  end  of  this  handsome  court  a 
broad  flight  of  steps  leads  to  the  main  hall,  which 
is  quite  as  grand  in  its  projwrtions  as  the  court. 
It  is  surmounted  by  a  beautiful  domed  roof,  very 
lofty,  and  skirted  by  open  galleries,  and  has  the 
same  sort  of  pillars  as  ornament  the  outer  court 


MADURA  AND  ITS  TEMPLES. 


and  other  chambers.  In  one  of  the  chambers 
there  are  some  graceful  columns  in  black  basalt. 
Altogether,  within  and  without,  it  is  a  most  im- 
posing structure. 

In  the  afternoon  we  had  tea  with  Mrs.  Hutch- 
ins,  the  wife  of  the  judge,  and  saw  in  the  com- 
pound the  finest  and  biggest  banyan  tree,  I  fancy, 
that  exists.  They  say  it  is  larger  even  than  the 
wonderful  old  tree  in  the  Botanic  Gardens  in  Cal- 
cutta. Quite  an  army  of  graceful  slender  stems 
descend  from  the  great  canopy  of  upper  branches 
and  are  most  beautifully  trained  and  cared  for  by 
Mr.  Hutchins.  A  real  army  might  encamp  be- 
neath the  shadow  of  this  magnificent  specimen  of 
the  monarch  of  Indian  woods,  so  wide  an  area 
does  it  cover.  Of  course,  one  could  not  look  at 
the  majestic  tree  without  recalling  Milton's  de- 
scription: 

"The  fig-tree,  not  that  kind  for  fruit  renowned, 
But  such  as  at  this  day,  to  Indians  known. 
In  Malabar  or  Deccan  spreads  lier  arms." 

Miss  Rendall  then  drove  us  round  and  round 
a  magnificent  tank,  a  great  sheet  of  water  in- 
closed by  walls  of  solid  masonry,  also  a  monument 
of  the  enlightened  ruler  I  have  already  often  re- 
ferred to,  Tirumalai  Naik.  At  festival  times 
this  whole  immense  square,  in  the  centre  of  which 
a  temple  stands,  is  lit  up  with  thousands  upon 


140 


SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


thousands  of  tiny  oil  lamps,  which  must  have  the 
loveliest  effect,  like  the  glimmering  and  gleaming 
of  mj-riad  fireflies.  On  such  occasions  all  the 
grand  golden  things  of  the  temple  are  brought 
forth  by  the  priests  and  borne  aloft  in  gorgeous 
procession,  amid  the  plaudits  and  acclamations 
of  the  enthusiastic  populace. 

On  the  last  morning  of  our  stay  we  had  a 
most  inspiriting  little  expedition  to  Pasumalai, 
where  there  is  a  branch  mission,  and  an  excellent 
institution  for  the  training  and  education  of  na- 
tive Christian  lads  and  boys.  It  is  under  the 
charge  of  ^Ir.  and  Mrs.  Washburn  and  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Bumell.  Mr.  Washburn  sent  his  'Tocka- 
way"  for  us,  a  pleasant  sort  of  conveyance, 
drawn  by  a  tiny  Pegu  pony,  the  briskest  lit- 
tle creature  you  can  imagine.  The  drive  in 
the  fresh,  cool  morning  air  was  most  enjoya- 
ble. It  was  a  shady  road,  fringed  with  beau- 
tiful trees,  the  neem,  tamarind,  banyan,  pee- 
pul,  and  plenty  of  palms;  the  paddy-fields,  filled 
with  richest  green,  mingled  with  brown  knolls, 
isolated  rocks,  tanks,  and  clumps  of  wood,  while 
blue,  mist-veiled  hills  bounded  the  distant  view. 
Presently  a  church  tower  rose  above  some  trees 
lying  in  the  shelter  of  a  bare,  brown  hill,  and  we 
turned  into  a  large  compound  filled  with  buildings 
of  every  size  and  shape.    We  breakfasted  with 


MADURA  AXD  ITS  TEMPLES.  I41 


our  friends  in  one  of  the  pretty  mission  bunga- 
lows, the  very  picture  of  New  England  neat- 
ness. 

After  breakfast  and  prayers  we  went  out  to 
see  the  institution.  The  number  of  buildings 
shows  its  extensive  character.  It  includes  a  High 
School,  an  industrial  department  \\  here  trades  are 
taught,  a  college,  and  also  a  theological  depart- 
ment for  the  training  of  aspirants  to  the  ministry 
as  well  as  catcchists  and  evangelists.  One  hun- 
dred and  eight  students  were  enrolled  last  year. 
An  interesting  feature  is  that  the  pupils  gather  to 
it  from  such  distances.  They  come  from  towns 
and  villages  and  mission  stations  extending  over 
an  area  of  six  thousand  miles,  and  half  of  these 
are  the  sons  of  pastors  and  catechists  ;  others 
are  converts  from  their  own  conviction,  who 
have  been  cast  adrift  by  their  friends,  and  who 
here  find  a  home  and  sympathy  and  good  train- 
ing for  future  work.  All  pay  fees  except  poor 
boys,  who  get  scholarships.  We  spent  an  hour 
or  two  most  happily  among  these  nice  lads. 
My  husband  questioned  and  addressed  all  the 
different  departments,  and  found  in  the  theologi- 
cal classes  many  earnest,  thoughtful  young  men. 
This  department  exercises  a  most  salutary  influ- 
ence on  the  schoolboys;  they  have  meetings  for 
prayer,  and  go  out  on  itinerating  work  when  op- 


142  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 

portunity  offers.  Seeing  a  row  of  small,  cell-like 
chambers,  I  asked  their  use.  I  found  they  were 
prayer- rooms,  where  the  pupils  may  retire  for 
private  reading  and  prayer — a  most  needful  ar- 
rangement in  India,  where  the  houses  are  so  open 
that  it  is  a  hard  matter  to  find  a  closet  to  which 
you  can  retire  and  shut  your  door  and  "pray  to 
your  Father  who  is  in  secret. ' ' 

Thus  the  mission  provides  for  the  proper  train- 
ing and  upbringing  of  the  children  of  its  con- 
verts, the  next  generation  of  Christians;  surely  a 
matter  of  the  very  greatest  importance,  to  which 
every  mission  should  wisely  attend. 


POUNDING  RICK. 


I 


TINNEVELLY.  PALAMCOTTA. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

TINNEVELLY.  PALAMCOTTA. 

We  have  now  come  to  our  last  day  of  railway 
travelling.  We  waved  our  adieux  to  our  kind 
entertainers  and  to  beautiful  IMadura  and  are  now 
journeying  in  a  southeasterly  direction  towards 
the  great  district  of  Tinnevelly.  The  country  is 
flat  except  for  some  dim,  blue,  hazy  hill-ranges 
in  the  far  distance;  and  though  the  soil  is  rather 
sandy  it  is  generally  well  cultivated  and  covered 
with  crops;  not  in  little  patches  like  a  patch-work 
quilt,  which  is  the  aspect  cultivation  too  often 
presents  in  India,  but  in  big  fields  worthy  of  the 
name.  The  paddy-fields,  where  rice  is  grown, 
abound  the  most,  but  bajri,  jowari,  millet,  and 
cotton  in  great  quantities  are  also  largely  culti- 
vated, coffee  too  wherever  there  are  hills  or  high- 
er ground. 

The  province  is  rich  agriculturally  and  the 
scenery  rural  in  its  character.  It  might  remind 
one  of  our  own  midland  counties  but  for  the  great 
groves  of  the  palmyra  palm,  which  now  became 
the  chief  feature  in  the  landscape,  and  are  cer- 
tainly not  Knglish.  This  marvellous  tree,  which 
everywhere  in  South  India  is  the  real  .staff  of  life 


144  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 

to  the  people,  covers  many  Imndred  square  miles; 
and  though  its  lofty  top  is  not  so  beautiful  as  the 
cocoa  palm,  with  its  crown  of  long,  graceful 
fronds,  yet  it  is  most  picturesque  and  stately  and 
gives  a  thoroughly  Oriental  and  varied  aspect  to 
the  scene. 

The  district  is  interesting  too  to  the  lover  of 
antiquarian  research  from  the  curious  remains 
which  are  to  be  found  of  prehistoric  races  in 
weapons,  implements,  pottery,  etc.  It  is  also  the 
scene  of  the  early  Dravidian  civilization.  But  I 
confess  that,  to  me,  the  chief  interest  lies  in  its 
being  the  scene  of  some  of  the  most  successful 
missionary  enterprises  the  world  has  ever  seen. 

When  it  began  to  grow  dark,  though  hardly 
yet  cool,  after  what  had  seemed  an  interminable 
day,  we  changed  into  a  short  branch  line  for  Tin- 
nevelly.  At  the  station  we  found  a  young  native 
Christian  waiting  with  a  servant  and  note  from 
Bishop  Sargent,  who  was  expecting  us.  There 
was  also  the  bishop's  large,  comfortable  bandy, 
something  like  a  small  omnibus,  drawn  by  a  pair 
of  huge  white  bullocks,  into  which  we  thank- 
fully got.  We  left  the  native  city  behind,  called 
Tinnevelly,  like  the  province  of  which  it  is  the 
capital,  and  turned  towards  the  English  canton- 
ment Palamcotta,  and  were  soon  welcomed  by  the 
venerable  bislioi)  and  his  most  gentle  wife.  A 


TINNEVELLY.  PALAMCOTTA. 


long-cherished  dream  was  realized:  we  were  at 
Palamcotta. 

Bishop  Sargent  looks  a  much  younger  man 
than  I  expected;  his  manner  is  youthful  and  vi- 
vacious; his  silvery  white  hair  is  brushed  back 
off  his  fine,  lofty  forehead;  his  face  is  clean  shaved 
and  fresh,  with  a  bright,  pleasant  expression;  his 
movements  are  rapid,  and  he  looks  still  full  of 
vigor  and  force.  One  may  well  hope  that  God 
will  yet  for  a  good  many  years  spare  this  excel- 
lent missionary  bishop  to  carry  on  the  glorious 
work  for  Christ  he  has  been  conducting  for  now 
nearly  half  a  century.  Mrs.  Sargent  is  in  ex- 
■  trcmely  feeble  health,  but  is  literally  from  morn 
till  night  engaged  in  mission  work.  It  is  her 
meat  and  drink,  her  very  life.  I  do  not  think  I 
ever  saw  a  more  touching  picture  than  this  in- 
firm, venerable  lady,  sitting  on  her  low  chair  in 
her  veranda,  surrounded  by  a  group  of  school- 
girls or  a  company  of  poor,  desolate-looking  wid- 
ows, in  whom  she  always  takes  special  interest, 
while  witli  feeble  but  earnest  voice  she  instructs 
them  or  reads  to  them  and  tells  them  of  the  Sa- 
viour, always  finishing  off  with  prayer.  I  never 
go  to  her  rooms  any  time  of  the  day  but  I  find 
her  thus  engaged,  and  she  always  brightens  up 
with  such  a  look  of  love  and  interest  when  her 
"dear  girls"  come  about  her. 

i)c<:D<ia  lu  .SuuIIkiiu  luilU.  XO 


146  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 

The  house  is  a  comfortable  large  bungalow, 
having  no  up  stairs;  the  rooms  are  lofty  and  open- 
ing off  each  other,  with  a  wide  pillared  veranda 
stretching  along  the  front  and  a  pretty  bowery 
porch.  The  furnishings  and  fittings,  with  all  the 
surroundings,  are  simplicity  itself;  there  is  every 
needful  comfort,  but  nothing  more.  It  is  a  true 
missionary  home:  the  work  is  all  in  all;  it  is  the 
one  idea  of  the  place  and  people.  This  was  the 
house  in  which  the  excellent  missionary  Rhenius 
lived,  a  well-known  name  among  the  many  asso- 
ciated with  the  history  of  Tinnevelly  missions. 

Soon  after  we  arrived  dinner  was  announced, 
during  which  the  bishop  talked  in  the  most  en- 
tertaining way,  giving  information  and  relating 
incidents  and  anecdotes  with  immense  animation. 
We  quite  forgot  our  fatigue  and  weary  journey. 
Then,  before  we  left  the  table,  a  troop  of  native 
servants  filed  in,  sat  down  cross-legged  on  the 
floor,  removed  their  turbans,  and  the  bishop  con- 
ducted worship  in  Tamil. 

The  Tinnevelly  district  as  a  mission  field  is 
divided  between  the  Church  Missionary  Society 
and  the  Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Gos- 
pel, the  greater  portion  belonging  to  the  former. 
Dr.  Sargent  is  Suffragan  Bishop  for  the  Church 
Missionary  Society  missions  and  Bishop  Caldwell 
the  same  in  couucction  with  the  other  society. 


TINNEVELLY.  PALAMCOTTA. 


The  venerable  Schwartz — "the  most  memo- 
rable name  in  the  history  of  Protestant  missions 
in  South  India,"  as  Bishop  Caldwell  says — was 
connected  with  these  missions  as  well  as  with  those 
of  Tranquebar,  Trichinopoly,  and  Tanjorc.  He 
visited  Tinnevelly  in  1771,  also  in  1782,  and  again 
in  1785.  He  baptized  the  first  convert,  a  Brah- 
man woman,  named  Clarinda.  On  the  occasion 
of  this  baptism  Schwartz  wrote:  "  Oh,  let  us  pray 
for  more  faithful  laborers.  May  God  send  such, 
for  Christ's  sake.  May  he  send  such  in  troops!'''' 
Surely  this  prayer  has  since  been  signally  an- 
swered. After  a  few  years  Clarinda  and  two 
other  Christians  went  the  long  journey  to  Tan- 
jorc to  see  Schwartz  and  to  beg  that  a  missionary 
might  be  settled  in  their  district.  The  conse- 
quence was  that  successive  catechists  were  sent. 
Sathianaden  especially — a  native  missionary,  ed- 
ucated by  himself — did  admirable  work  and  la- 
bored long  in  the  district;  and  under  him  the 
native  church  made  steady  progress.  Chiefly 
from  the  efforts  made  by  Clarinda  the  first  Chris- 
tian church  was  built;  and  so  began  the  Protes- 
tant mission  churches  of  Tinnevelly,  now  so  flour- 
ishing. 

The  Christian  community  in  connection  with 
Bishop  Sargent  at  present  numbers  fifty-five  thou- 
sand.   Under  Bishop  Caldwell,  of  the  Society  for 


148  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel,  there  are  forty-five 
thousand  more;  so  that  the  wonderful  and  delight- 
ful fact  remains  to  cheer  the  hearts  of  the  friends 
of  missions  that,  out  of  a  population  of  about  two 
millions,  one  hundred  thousand  are  Protestant 
Christians.  The  number  has  quadrupled  itself 
in  twenty  years.  Let  all  who  talk  of  missions  as 
a  failure  be  told  this  weighty  fact. 

I  can  hardly  attempt  to  speak  of  Roman-cath- 
olic missions.  It  was  on  the  Tinnevelly  coast 
that  Francis  Xavier,  in  1542,  after  staying  a  short 
time  in  Goa,  commenced  his  labors.  The  Jesuits, 
after  being  repressed  as  a  society  for  some  time, 
again  received  charge  of  the  Tinnevelly  missions 
in  1837.  Their  converts  still  increase  in  number, 
although,  as  far  as  I  can  learn,  not  so  rapidly  as 
those  of  the  Protestants;  and  they  are  very  dil- 
igent with  schools,  orphanages,  and  such  kinds 
of  mission  work. 

Most  of  the  bishop's  converts — quite  two- 
thirds,  I  think — are  drawn  from  the  Shanars, 
who,  as  I  said,  are  worshippers  of  devils.  They 
are  a  low  caste,  but  claim  to  be  the  original  in- 
habitants of  this  part  of  the  country,  and  have 
never  been  much  influenced  by  Hindoos  or  Hin- 
dooism.  The  Shanars  live  chiefly  by  the  palmyra 
palm  and  are  the  palmyra  climbers;  that  is,  it  is 
they  who  mount  these  branchless  trees,  sometimes 


TINNEVELLY.  PALAMCOTTA. 


149 


to  the  height  of  eighty  or  ninety  feet,  to  remove 
the  sap  or  juice,  which  has  been  drawn  off  in  a 
small  earthen  pot  at  the  top.  This  beverage  is 
much  used  by  the  people  and  is  very  refreshing, 
though  it  becomes  intoxicating  if  left  to  ferment. 
It  is  also  made  into  sugar  and  is  used  in  other 
ways.  From  many  villages  in  the  heart  of  these 
palmyra  groves,  where  formerly  only  the  horrible 
and  degrading  rites  of  devil-worship  were  prac- 
tised, you  now  hear  the  voice  of  prayer  ascending 
to  the  God  and  Father  of  all. 

The  people  usually  have  good  faces,  with 
marked  features,  very  dark  skin,  and  bright, 
good-tempered  expressions.  The  men  and  wo- 
men both  wear  the  hair  long  and  generally  tied 
in  a  knot  behind.  Among  the  women  the  bar- 
baric and,  I  must  say,  very  ugly  decoration  of 
the  torn  ear  is  universal,  which  we  saw,  I  think, 
for  the  first  time  in  Madura.  The  lobe  is  per- 
forated, or  rather  torn,  and  the  aperture  hung 
with  rings  of  brass,  lead,  iron,  or  anything  heavy, 
so  that  it  is  weighed  down  and  elongated  until  it 
sometimes  reaches  half  way  to  the  shoulder.  The 
longer  it  is  the  more  elegant  and  the  more  ad- 
mired. The  operation  begins  in  childhood  and 
is  really  a  cruel  one  and  as  unreasonable  as  the 
bound  foot  among  the  women  of  China;  but  the 
fashion  is  inexorable  for  all  well-to-do  women. 


150  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 

It  is  considered  quite  a  disgrace  if  the  ear  is  torn 
open  in  the  process  so  that  it  cannot  hold  the 
ornaments.  The  women  are  so  proud  of  this  dec- 
oration that  you  see  it  constantly  in  the  schools, 
and  often  even  among  the  Christian  women;  and 
the  missionaries  find  it  difficult  to  induce  the 
mothers  to  leave  it  off  in  the  upbringing  of  their 
children.  Mrs.  Lewis,  of  the  Zenana  Mission 
here,  told  me  of  a  little  blind  girl  in  one  of  her 
houses  out  of  whose  ear  she  had  taken  metal  rings 
which  weighed  two  and  a  half  ounces. 

Life  begins  early  in  India  and  we  were  up 
betimes,  soon  waiting  in  the  veranda  to  go  out 
with  the  bishop.  The  heat  is  stifling,  though  it 
is  hardly  yet  six  o'clock,  and  of  the  exhausting, 
soaking,  steamy  sort.  Not  a  breath  stirs;  every- 
thing is  still;  but  by-and-by  the  welcome  breeze 
will  come  and  it  will  be  cooler.  The  whole  scene 
is  full  of  peace  and  beauty.  The  trees  stand 
about  the  house  in  leafy  grandeur,  throwing  long 
shadows  on  the  grass.  The  branches  are  stirred 
only  by  the  brisk,  funny  little  squirrels,  who 
bound  about  at  their  merry  gambols,  and  the 
long-tailed,  white  bulbul^  which  I  thought  at  first 
must  be  a  bird  of  paradise  as  the  sun  gleamed  on 
the  long,  beautiful  feathers  while  it  flitted  among 
the  leaves.  The  ubiquitous  crow  too,  of  course, 
is  here,  with  his  usual  swagger  and  trim  black 


TINNEVELLY.  PALAMCOTTA. 


coat,  and  breaks  the  sweet  silence  with  his  im- 
pertinent caw.  The  sward  is  wonderfully  green, 
but  will  not  remain  long  so  now,  as  the  fierce  sun 
grows  daily  more  fierce  and  will  scorch  it  up. 
There  are  many  substantial  buildings  about, 
which  I  suppose  are  schools  and  boarding-houses; 
and  above  all,  a  little  to  the  right,  also  within  the 
compound,  stands  the  handsome  mission  church, 
gleaming  white  among  the  trees,  with  a  graceful 
spire  towering  over  everything.  As  I  write  the 
church-bell  begins  to  chime  forth  its  invitation  to 
morning  prayer,  and  a  troop  of  schoolgirls  in 
bright  garments  march  past  to  attend  the  service. 
A  scene  full  of  encouragement  and  holy  joy  to 
the  Christian  heart,  for  it  tells  of  work  earnest 
and  fruitful,  of  hopes  fulfilled  and  promises  made 
good  ;  and  one  cannot  but  look  onward  to  the 
glorious  future  —  perhaps  not  so  very  far  off — 
when  the  nations  shall  be  gathered  in  and  the 
whole  earth  filled  with  the  glory  of  God. 

The  bishop  came  for  us  and  we  soon  followed 
to  church.  Mr.  Jesudas  (the  name  means  Servant 
of  Jesus),  the  native  pastor,  was  just  beginning 
the  service.  The  bishop  and  Dr.  Mitchell  sat 
within  the  communion  rails,  while  the  pews  were 
filled  with  the  pupils  from  the  Boys'  Seminary, 
the  boarding-school  girls,  the  teachers,  and  all 
the  people  of  the  compound.    It  is  a  very  large 


152  SCENES  IX  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 

church,  holding  more  than  a  thousand  people, 
and  at  the  Sabbath  services  it  is  always  crowded. 
The  bishop  has  had  the  joy  of  seeing  "the  little 
one"  literally  "become  a  thousand"  in  his  time, 
for  when  he  came  to  Palamcotta  there  were  only 
about  forty  members  in  connection  with  this 
church.  The  service  was  very  simple  and  the 
music  excellent,  though  there  was  no  instrument 
of  any  kind  used.  The  music  was  rendered  en- 
tirely by  the  young  people  of  the  schools. 

But  it  is  not  only  in  the  numbers  of  the  con- 
verts that  the  progress  is  remarkable.  The  na- 
tive Christians  are  rapidly  rising  in  many  re- 
spects. At  the  last  examination  of  the  Madras 
University  the  Christians,  in  proportion  to  their 
numbers,  obtained  a  higher  place  even  than  the 
Brahmans,  who  are  confessedly  an  intellectual 
race.  The  missions  educate  their  people  thor- 
oughly, and  so,  though  of  the  low  Shanar  caste 
originally,  they  are  fast  outstripping  the  Hindoos 
in  position  and  standing.  It  is  true  of  the  whole 
native  Christian  community  that  it  is  steadily 
growing  in  influence  and  importance;  and  I  am 
told  that  this  is  specially  the  case  among  the 
Protestants.  ' '  The  very  look  of  the  people  is 
changed,"  as  Bishop  Sargent  truly  remarked. 

He  spoke  also  rejoicingly  of  their  increased 
liberality.    A  few  years  ago  they  gave  very  little 


TINNEVELLY.     PALAMCOTTA.  1 53 


in  support  even  of  their  own  churches  and  schools. 
They  expected  the  mission  to  maintain  the  pas- 
tors and  schoohnasters,  to  build  their  churches, 
and  do  everything  for  them.  But  now  all  this 
has  entirely  changed.  Last  year  the  native  Chris- 
tians here  connected  with  the  Church  IMissionary 
Society  contributed  32,000  rupees  towards  the 
work  of  the  mission  ;  and  school-fees  are  now 
universally  paid,  even  in  the  boarding-schools. 

The  bishop  also  spoke  most  hopefully  regard- 
ing the  experiment  which  is  being  made  in  this 
district  by  the  Church  Missionary  Society  of  with- 
drawing European  missionaries  as  much  as  pos- 
sible and  replacing  them  by  native  agents.  The 
European  missionaries  now  in  the  field  are  em- 
ployed as  educationists,  while  the  charge  of  con- 
gregations, evangelistic  work,  and  itineracy  are 
all  carried  on  by  ordained  pastors  and  catechists. 
Consequently  the  native  ministry  has  been  largely 
increased.  There  are  now  sixty -four  ordained 
native  clergymen,  though  when  Dr.  Sargent  came 
to  Tinnevelly  there  was  only  one.  There  are 
also  a  good  many  honorary  catechists,  men  who 
support  themselves  and  do  a  great  and  good  work, 
preaching  to  the  heathen  as  well  as  among  the 
churches.  It  was  delightful  to  hear  the  bishop 
talk.  He  told  us  also  of  the  native  councils 
which  have  been  successfully  introduced.  There 


154  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


is  a  Congregational  Council,  consisting  of  the 
pastor  and  three  or  four  persons  chosen  by  the 
congregation,  a  Financial  Council,  and,  lastly,  a 
General  Council,  which  meets  once  a  year  and 
reviews  the  proceedings  of  the  inferior  courts. 

Thus  the  native  churches  are  moving  steadily 
onward  and  are  being  trained  to  self-government 
and  self-support,  while  the  good  bishop — al\va}s 
the  father  of  his  people,  the  shepherd  of  the  flock 
— superintends  and  presides  and  watches  over  the 
whole. 

After  service  Mr.  Jesudas,  the  pastor,  and  Mrs, 
Lewis,  from  the  Zenana  Home,  breakfasted  with 
us,  and  then  the  fifty  pupils  from  Mrs.  Sargent's 
Girls'  Boarding-school  filed  in  to  prayers  and 
stood  in  a  ring  round  the  drawing-room.  The 
bishop  and  my  husband  asked  many  questions  of 
the  girls,  especially  in  Scripture,  which  were  an- 
swered with  readiness  and  understanding ;  and 
some  questions  were  pretty  hard.  I  never  saw 
brighter  or  more  intelligent  scholars  anywhere. 
They  were  of  all  sizes  and  ages,  neatly  dressed 
alike  in  a  pretty  costume  of  buff  and  scarlet,  with 
pleasant,  intelligent,  and,  in  some  cases,  refined 
faces.  They  are  all  the  Christian  daughters  of 
Christian  parents.  There  are  no  orphanages  here. 
The  system  is  to  board  the  orphans  in  respectable 
Christian  households,  where  they  are  cared  for 


TINNEVELLY.     TALAMCOTTA.  155 

and  trained  at  a  comparatively  small  outlay.  But 
all  look  on  boarding-schools,  where  the  children 
can  remain  apart  from  heathen  influences,  as  most 
important.  On  this  point  Bishop  Caldwell  says 
that  "day-schools  will  not  suffice;  for  one  or  two 
generations  at  least  we  must  rely  on  boarding- 
schools.  ' ' 

What  delighted  me  xery  much  was  the  sing- 
ing, so  softly  sweet,  so  beautifully  harmonized. 
The  voices  were  so  much  sweeter  and  better  mod- 
ulated than  is  usually  the  case  in  India  that  I 
was  surprised.  Besides  several  of  Sankey's  best 
hymns  and  some  plaintive  Tamil  lyrics,  they  sang 
some  beautiful  pieces  from  the  "Messiah"  with 
feeling  and  taste.  The  truth  is,  the  bishop  him- 
self takes  much  pains  with  the  musical  depart- 
ment in  all  the  schools,  and  this  is  the  reason 
there  are  so  few  harsh  tones  or  jarring  notes. 

In  the  afternoon  the  lads  came  in  from  the 
boys'  school  at  the  other  side  of  the  compound 
and  stood  round  the  drawing-room  as  the  girls 
had  done,  and  answered  and  sang  just  as  well. 
Some  of  them  accompanied  themselves  with  the 
violin.  The  bishop  has  lately  had  fourteen  vio- 
lins sent  out  as  gifts  to  the  best  musicians,  which 
are  much  appreciated  and  at  play-hours  are  in 
constant  use.  These  lads  are  also  the  children  of 
Christian  parents  or  Christians  on  their  own  pro- 


156  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


fession  of  faith.  Many  of  them  are  supported  by 
friends  in  Australia.  And  so  the  important  mat- 
ter of  the  right  upbringing  of  the  youth — the 
next  generation  of  Christians,  on  whom  so  much 
will  depend — is  thus  carefully  attended  to  in  this 
thoroughly  equipped  and  excellent  mission. 

In  the  cool  of  the  evening  there  was  a  pretty 
little  demonstration  on  the  lawn.  The  bishop 
had  all  the  schools,  girls  and  boys,  marshalled 
forth,  bearing  the  flags  and  banners,  with  pretty 
devices,  which  had  assisted  at  the  grand  reception 
this  mission  had  given  to  the  Prince  of  Wales  on 
his  visit  to  India.  The  young  folks  marched 
about,  played  games,  sang  songs,  when  the  pre- 
cious fiddles  did  ample  duty,  and  altogether  en- 
joyed the  fun  and  frolic.  And  I  think  we  enjoyed 
it  quite  as  much  as  they  did,  for  it  was  pleasant 
to  see  that  these  school-children  could  play  well 
as  well  as  work  well,  and  that  "Jack  was  not  a 
dull  boy."  It  was  delightful  too  to  see  how  thor- 
oughly the  good  bishop  enters  into  their  sports 
and  how  much  at  home  with  him  the  young  folks 
are.  He  is  full  of  mechanical  ingenuity.  We 
found  him  superintending  the  construction  of  a 
water-wheel  in  the  compound  to-day,  on  some 
new  principle  of  his  own;  and  there  is  a  gigantic 
globe  in  the  hall  fashioned  by  his  own  hands. 
He  pointed  out  a  fine  spreading  banyau-tree  to  us 


TINNEVELLY.     PALAMCOTTA.  1 57 


standing  over  the  wall  in  what  is  now  a  paddy- 
field  but  formerly  was  part  of  the  compound. 
The  curious  and  beautiful  tree,  truly  the  king  of 
the  Indian  forest,  had  dropped  some  roots  from 
the  upper  branches,  as  its  manner  is,  and  flung 
them  over  the  wall,  so  that  "daughters  grew 
about  the  mother- tree,"  and  the  daughter  was 
now  bigger  than  the  mother.  The  tree  seemed 
determined  to  take  possession  anew  of  the  mission 
grounds.  "See,"  said  the  bishop,  "it  wont  be 
separated  from  us."  "True,"  added  my  hus- 
band. "And  look,  is  not  that  increasing  army 
of  strong  young  stems,  all  separately  springing 
from  the  glorious  roof- tree,  like  the  youthful 
church  of  India,  of  which  we  have  been  speak- 
ing? Above,  in  Christ  our  Head,  they  are  one; 
but  they  multiply  and  spread,  each  a  new,  strong 
tree,  taking  possession  of  the  land."  The  good 
bishop's  face  quite  kindled  at  the  thought. 

We  have  spent  a  day  with  our  friends  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Kember,  of  the  Theological  Training 
College  of  the  mission,  and  another  with  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Harcourt,  who,  since  the  departure  of  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Lush,  have  had  the  charge  and  man- 
agement of  the  well-known  Sarah  Tucker  Insti- 
tution. This  is  for  the  training  of  schoolmistress- 
es and  the  higher  classes  of  native  Christian  girls. 
Nothing  strikes  one  more  in  some  of  these  delight- 


158  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


fill  missions  we  have  now  the  privilege  of  visiting 
than  the  perfect  organization  there  is:  every  de- 
partment is  made  perfect  in  its  way;  nothing  is 
spared  which  can  make  the  work  more  real  and 
thorouq-h  and  successful. 

The  compounds  belonging  to  both  the  training 
institutions  are  not  far  from  the  bishop's  and  are 
very  spacious.  They  are  beautified  too  with 
clumps  and  lines  of  banyan,  mango,  tamarind, 
neem,  and  other  fine  trees;  ample  playgrounds 
there  are,  and  tennis-courts,  hedgerows  and  good 
sward,  which  is  still  wonderfully  green.  In  Mr. 
Kember's,  besides  the  mission -house,  there  are 
groups  of  low  bungalows  used  as  class-rooms, 
mess-rooms,  dormitories,  and  small  rooms  for 
"studies,"  all  of  the  same  type — plain,  substan- 
tial, whitewashed  buildings,  airy  and  clean.  This 
institution  is  entirely  for  the  training  of  workers: 
pastors,  evangelists,  catechists,  and  schoolmasters. 
All  who  enter  understand  that  the}-  are  thencefor- 
ward to  be  agents  of  the  mission,  to  go  where  they 
mav  be  sent.  There  were  eieht  men  whom  we 
saw  and  had  much  talk  with  in  Mr.  Kcmber's 
own  theological  class  who  are  soon  to  be  ordained 
to  the  office  of  the  ministry. 

This  solemn  scr\-ice  took  place  about  a  month 
after  our  visit.  It  was  held  in  the  large  mission 
chuicli,  which  was  filled  to  overllowing.    "It  was 


TINNEVELLY.     PALAMCOTTA.  159 

a  most  striking  scene,"  a  friend  writes,  "when 
the  eight  candidates,  the  native  clergy,  forty- 
seven  in  number,  the  European  missionaries,  and 
the  venerable  bishop  passed  in  procession  up  the 
central  aisle.  After  the  sermon,  and  before  the 
imposition  of  hands,  there  was  an  impressive  sea- 
son of  silent  prayer;  and  when  the  candidates  had 
been  set  apart,  the  holy  communion  followed  and 
concluded  the  deeply  interesting  and  impressive 
service. ' ' 

Another  interesting  half-hour  we  spent  with  . 
Mr.  David  Solomon,  the  head  master,  in  his  class 
of  catechists,  who  told  us  a  good  deal  about  the 
progress  of  the  work  among  the  heathen  and  their 
attitude  towards  Christianity.  They  say  the  Sha- 
nars  are  much  stirred  up  at  present  in  behalf  of 
their  own  system  and  frightened  because  of  the 
triumphs  the  gospel  is  making.  "The  gospel  is 
strong,"  they  say,  "and  will  conquer  us  if  we  do 
not  conquer  it."  So  they  are  furbishing  up  every 
old  heathenish  rite  and  are  much  on  their  guard. 
They  acknowledge,  however,  that  they  are  not  so 
much  in  terror  of  the  devils  since  Christianity 
came.  "The  missionaries  have  frightened  them," 
they  say,  "and  they  have  retreated  to  the  forests 
and  jungles."  Surely  this  vShanar  worship  is  the 
most  degrading  of  all  hcatlien  systems,  for  the  ob- 
jects of  their  worship  arc  devils  simply  and  liter- 


l6o  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


ally.  It  is  a  system  of  terrorism;  they  worsliip 
these  malevolent  beings  from  dread;  and  it  is 
surely  a  great  matter  if  this  dread  is  lessened  and 
this  sad  and  degrading  bondage  begins  to  be  bro- 
ken. 

Fifteen  catechists  have  gone  forth  from  Mr. 
Solomon's  class  this  year  and  three  more  are 
ready  to  go,  and  most  of  them  are  converted  Sha- 
nars.  While  we  were  at  Mr.  Kember's  50  new 
pupils  from  a  distant  district  arrived,  who  were 
at  once  drafted  into  the  departments  suited  to 
them. 

The  Sarah  Tucker  Institution  was  built  by 
Bishop  Sargent  and  the  Rev.  Mr.  Spratt  in  1862. 
Miss  Tucker  never  was  in  India  herself,  but  her 
brother  was  one  of  the  secretaries  of  the  Church 
Missionary  Society,  I  think,  in  Madras;  and  she 
took  so  deep  and  active  an  interest  in  the  women 
of  India  that  she  worked  constantly  for  them  and, 
though  a  great  invalid,  accomplished  much  in 
raising  funds  and  otherwise  helping  on  the  cause. 
At  her  death  this  most  useful  and  much-needed 
institution  was  erected  as  a  memorial  of  her.  It 
is  rather  an  imposing  structure,  standing  in  the 
same  compound  with  Mr.  Harcourt's  house,  with 
massive  pillars  supporting  the  portico  and  a  wide 
veranda  running  along  the  entire  front.  It  ac- 
commodates 120  girls,  who  board  and  live  in  the 


TINNEVELLY.     PALAMCOTTA.  l6l 

premises  and  are  trained  to  teach  in  normal  class- 
es. They  are  then  sent  out  to  take  charge  of 
branch  affiliated  schools,  of  which  there  are  now 
42,  all  taught  by  Christian  teachers  and  attended 
by  many  children  of  the  highest  caste.  We  were 
greatly  pleased  with  the  way  in  which  some  of  the 
young  women  communicated  instruction  to  their 
pupils,  in  a  bright,  quick,  animated  way  which  at 
once  secured  the  attention  of  the  little  girls.  We 
were  delighted  here  too  with  the  singing,  which 
was  led  by  Mrs.  Harcourt,  who  manages  this  de- 
partment entirely  herself  and  with  quite  as  pleas- 
ing results  as  we  had  noticed  among  Mrs.  Sar- 
gent's flock.  Indeed,  Palamcotta  quite  carries  the 
palm  in  the  matter  of  music  over  all  the  missions 
we  have  seen.  The  girls  do  a  great  deal  of  lovely 
embroidery,  which  Mrs.  Harcourt  is  very  glad  to 
take  orders  for,  disposing  of  it  for  the  benefit  of 
the  institution. 

A  lady  has  lately  been  sent  out  by  the  Church 
Missionary  Zenana  Society  to  assist  Mrs.  Har- 
court. This  is  Miss  Askwith,  who  is  already  a 
favorite  with  the  missionaries  and  pupils  and 
takes  her  own  good  share  of  the  work,  including 
the  acquisition  of  that  hard  Tamil  tongue. 

I  must  also  refer  to  another  part  of  the  work 
which  had  especial  attraction  for  mc,  the  Zenana 
mission,  conducted  by  Mrs.  Lewis  aud  Miss  Mac- 

tictiiiuii  la  Uoulliuru  luitlft.  J  X 


l62  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 

Donald.  We  lunched  in  the  pleasant,  bright  Ze- 
nana Home  with  these  ladies  and  Miss  Ling,  who 
has  lately  joined  them.  Mrs.  Thomas  is  a  name 
well  known  in  connection  with  woman's  work  in 
South  India.  I  was  glad  to  find  that  she  is  still 
working  in  a  station  about  30  miles  off,  which  re- 
joices in  the  name  of  Mengnanapurani.  Almost 
every  Christian  woman  one  meets  with  here 
seems  to  have  been  under  her  tuition  or  influence 
in  some  way  or  other,  and  she  still  has  a  boarding- 
school  in  which  there  are  86  girls. 

After  lunch  Mrs.  Lewis  and  I  started  for  the 
native  city — a  hot,  dusty,  disagreeable  drive  of 
three  miles,  in  a  peculiarly  slow,  shaky,  bullock- 
coach.  The  wilful  beasts  absolutely  declined  to 
go  out  of  a  walk.  Palamcotta  is  the  place  where 
the  English  reside  and  the  headquarters  of  the  ad- 
ministration, while  Tinnevelly,  situated  on  the 
banks  of  the  Tambrapani,  is  the  chief  native  town 
of  the  district.  Bishop  Caldwell  says  that  until 
the  English  rule  began  in  1802  Tinnevelly  had 
probably  never  had  two  successive  years  of  peace. 
But  the  days  of  misrule  have  happily  passed  away. 
There  are  some  handsome  temples,  with  the  usual 
goparains;  but  there  is  nothing  striking  in  the 
town. 

Zenana  work  has  had  the  same  happy  cfTcct 
among  the  people  of  the  Madras  Presidency  as  in 


TINNEVELLY.  PALAMCOTTA. 


163 


other  parts  of  India.  Bishop  Sargent  thinks  that 
the  visits  of  European  ladies  to  their  wives  have 
done  more  to  secure  a  friendly  feeling  towards  the 
English  among  the  men  than  anything  else  has 
done.  He  says  in  a  paper  read  before  the  Banga- 
lore Missionary  Conference  of  1879:  "No  proc- 
lamation from  the  highest  in  power  could  so  im- 
press the  minds  of  high-caste  native  women  in 
regard  to  the  kind  feeling  which  English  people 
bear  towards  them  as  does  the  frequent  contact 
of  these  zenana  ladies  with  them  for  the  gospel's 
sake.  I  am  convinced  that  since  this  work  has 
commenced  a  more  favorable  opinion,  within  a 
limited  sphere,  must  now  be  entertained  of  us 
than  ever  was  before." 

Mrs.  Lewis  took  me  to  some  of  the  houses  in 
which  she  teaches,  and  I  noticed  that  the  zenana 
apartments  were  better  furnished  and  the  women 
better  off  and  brighter-looking  than  the  women 
of  the  same  class  are  in  Bengal  and  the  North- 
west. They  are,  of  course,  as  ignorant  and  super- 
stitious and  as  much  in  need  of  being  taught ; 
but  those  I  saw  have  not  an  imprisoned  look; 
they  can  look  out  and  go  out,  and  their  apart- 
ments are  not  shut  off  from  the  rest  of  the  house 
and  the.  rest  of  the  world  as  those  where  the  poor 
women  of  Calcutta  live  their  joyless,  hopeless, 
objectless  lives. 


164  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 

The  most  interesting  visit  we  paid  was  to  a 
gentle-looking,  very  poor  woman  who  had  once 
sent  urgently  for  Mrs.  lyewis  when  her  son  was 
dying.  When  her  friend  arrived  she  exclaimed, 
"Do  send  me  that  Jesus.  I  want  to  see  him.  He 
will  cure  my  boy."  When  told  she  must  pray  to 
him  she  said,  "How  shall  I  speak  to  him?  I 
don't  know  what  words  to  use."  Mrs.  Lewis 
taught  her  a  short,  simple  prayer,  which  she  re- 
.  peated.  Her  boy  recovered.  Now,  though  un- 
baptized,  she  seems  a  sincere  believer  in  that 
Jesus  she  so  earnestly  asked  to  see. 

During  our  drive,  both  going  and  coming,  I 
was  amused  with  the  number  of  men  and  boys 
who  pursued  us,  keeping  alongside  the  bandy,  en- 
treating Mrs.  Lewis  for  books.  They  all  seemed 
to  know  her  and  her  large  bag,  in  which  the 
precious  books  were  carried.  They  were  quite 
willing  to  pay  for  them,  and  when  the  supply 
was  exhausted  the  disappointment  was  great, 
while  some  of  the  lads  stipulated  that  they  should 
be  remembered  first  next  time. 

On  our  return,  in  the  cool  of  the  evening,  I 
found  two  huge,  curious  machines  standing  in 
the  compound,  with  some  meek-looking  bullocks 
tied  under  the  trees.  These  were  the  vehicles  in 
which  we  were  to  proceed  on  our  travels — for  we 
had  done  with  railways  for  the  present — one  for 


TINNEVELLY.  PALAMCOTTA. 


ourselves  and  one  for  our  servant  and  baggage. 
I  surveyed  them  with  considerable  foreboding, 
seeing  we  were  to  spend  the  night  in  them.  They 
were  the  common  carts  of  the  country,  very  nar- 
row, very  long,  and  very  high,  with  arched  roof 
covered  with  matting,  giving  the  interior  a  vault- 
like look.  There  was  a  hard  wooden  bottom 
and  tremendously  high  wheels,  rough  and  strong, 
^ly  husband  had  taken  the  precaution  of  having 
a  good  bed  of  clean  straw  laid  in  the  bottom. 
Joseph  was  deftly  and  silently  stowing  away  bun- 
dles and  packages  and  portmanteaus  in  one  of  the 
cave-like  dens,  while  in  the  other  were  heaped 
quilts  and  cushions  and  rugs  and  shawls,  the  bul- 
locks looking  on,  evidently  in  a  very  dejected 
frame  of  mind,  knowing  the  work  that  was  before 
them,  while  their  drivers  were  calmly  asleep  on 
the  sward  beside  them.  Soon  all  was  ready  for 
the  start.  We  had  already  taken  leave  of  the 
bishop.  A  little  later  we  dined  with  Mrs.  Sargent, 
then  had  prayer  together  and  took  leave  of  the 
gentle  lady,  hoping  to  meet  again  shortly  on  the 
Nielgherry  Hills.  When  ever>-body  else  went  to 
bed  we  climbed  into  our  lair,  made  ourselves  as 
snug  as  we  could  on  the  straw,  and  set  out  into 
the  darkness. 


l66  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

TRAVANCORE.  NAGERCOIL. 

Looking  onward  in  a  southwesterly  direction 
as  you  journey  from  Tinnevelly  towards  Cape 
Comorin  you  see  a  range  of  purple  mountains 
stretching  across  the  plain  in  broken  and  pictu- 
resque and  most  striking  masses.  Beyond  this 
grand  natural  rampart  lies  the  beautiful  little 
kingdom  of  Travancore — an  independent  state, 
having  a  maharajah,  or  king,  of  its  own — towards 
which  our  faces  were  now  turned.  This  country 
is  often  called  the  garden  of  South  India,  which 
it  undoubtedly  is,  being  full  of  loveliness  in  smi- 
ling valleys  and  verdant  rice-fields,  waters,  rocks, 
trees,  hills — often  green  to  their  summits — exten- 
sive palmyra  forests,  and  a  marvellous  wealth  of 
tropical  vegetation,  while  its  shores  are  washed 
by  the  great  blue  Southern  Sea. 

It  has  other  attractions,  however,  which  tran- 
scend even  these,  for  Travancore  is  becoming  also 
a  garden  of  the  Lord.  Once,  with  all  its  natural 
beauty,  it  was  a  wilderness  of  moral  and  spiritual 
darkness  too  deep  to  be  told:  Brahmanism,  de- 
mon-worship, caste,  slavery,  and  every  sort  of 


TRAVANCORE.  NAGERCOIL. 


167 


oppression  held  undisputed  sway.  But  now  these 
things  are  changing  and  the  wilderness  begins  to 
"blossom  like  the  rose."  There  are  green  spots 
now.  There  are  the  homes  of  the  missionaries 
and  the  Christian  churches,  which,  through  their 
labors,  blessed  by  God's  Spirit,  are  filled  with 
men  and  women  gathered  out  of  this  heathenism. 
There  are  places  where  for  long  ages  devil-wor- 
shippers practised  their  abominable  and  degra- 
ding rites  that  are  now  Christian  hamlets,  whence 
praise  and  prayer  ascend  from  loving  hearts  to 
the  loving  Father  in  heaven  and  where  the  tem- 
ples and  altar-stones  for  this  wretched  worship 
have  been  changed  for  churches  and  schools  and 
Christian  homes.  Superstition,  of  course,  still 
reigns  over  much  of  the  region,  but  a  great  deal 
has  been  done.  The  gospel  has  taken  root  mar- 
vellously, bringing  forth  golden  fruit  for  Christ's 
kingdom;  and  the  story  of  its  introduction  among 
the  Shanars  of  Tinnevelly  and  Travancore  can- 
not be  told  too  often  if  only  it  stimulates  the  faith 
and  zeal  of  God's  people  to  go  on  to  renewed 
thanksgiving  and  fresh  effort. 

We  had  a  toiling  night  of  it  after  we  got  clear 
of  the  station  roads  and  cantonment  civilization. 
We  lay  on  our  straw  bed  beneath  the  low-archcd 
roof  of  our  novel  conveyance — I  coiled  up  at  the 
head  and  my  husband,  a  sort  of  guard,  across  the 


l68  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


foot.  It  was  fortunate  he  had  got  us  so  well 
padded  in,  for  the  roads — so  called  by  courtes)' — 
were  only  tracks  in  the  deep  sand  and  full  of  for- 
midable ruts  and  holes.  One  moment  a  wheel 
would  dash  down  into  a  deep  rut,  while  the  other 
had  mounted  over  a  piece  of  rock;  and  many  a 
time  we  thought  it  was  all  over  with  us;  but  we 
struggled  and  scrambled  on,  the  meek,  patient 
bullocks,  quite  accustomed  to  the  yoke  and  to  the 
road,  creeping  cautiously  along,  while  the  drivers 
sat  on  their  benches  placidly  asleep.  I  believe 
they  slept  all  night,  except  when,  after  a  worse 
lurch  than  usual,  the  Sahib  would  pour  forth  a 
volley  of  shouts  upon  them.  To  talk  was  of  no 
use,  as  they  did  not  understand  a  word  we  said. 
They  woiild  then  wake  up,  use  the  stick  zeal- 
ously on  the  unoffending  beasts,  jerk  the  tails,  ad- 
monish them  in  Tamil,  and  then  go  off  to  sleep 
again. 

At  dawn  we  found  ourselves  in  a  picturesque 
region  of  rocks  and  hills,  intermingled  with  the 
rich  green  of  the  rice -fields  and  always  great 
clumps  of  the  stately  palmyra  palm.  The  moun- 
tains lay  near  us  now  in  long,  undulating  lines 
and  ridges  or  lofty  summits,  with  fantastic,  jagged 
peaks,  unspeakably  grand.  Soon  the  valley  nar- 
rowed and  our  route  lay  between  ridges  of  rock 
and  low  hills  with  an  occasional  small  temple  of 


TRAVANCORE.     NAGERCOIL.  1 69 


the  rudest  description,  also  rest-houses  and  the 
curious  white  altar-stones  used  in  demon-worship 
standing  here  and  there  along  the  road  beneath 
the  trees.  We  encountered  many  wayfarers,  who 
stood  and  stared  at  us  in  wonderment  as  we  pass- 
ed. They  were  most  strange,  wild-looking  peo- 
ple, with  shaggy,  unkempt,  turbanless  heads, 
lines  and  patches  of  white  paint  all  over  their 
breasts,  and  no  clothing  to  speak  of — only  a  dirty 
rag  across  their  loins. 

A  group  gathered  round  us,  eying  all  we  did 
with  stupid  but  good-humored  astonishment  when 
we  scrambled  down  from  the  cart  and  bivouacked 
under  the  thick  shade  of  a  grand  banyan-tree 
while  Joseph  made  us  a  cup  of  tea.  It  was  de- 
licious to  rest  a  while  and  breathe  the  sweet,  cool 
air  and  let  our  poor  bones  get  into  their  usiial 
places  after  the  process  of  dislocation  they  had 
been  subjected  to  all  night.  Meanwhile  a  few 
sticks  were  gathered,  a  bottle  of  water  was  emp- 
tied into  a  tiny  kettle,  which  was  set  on  to  boil, 
and  "the  cup  which  cheers"  seemed  more  fra- 
grant and  refreshing  than  ever  it  had  done  before. 
The  poor  gaping  people  looked  on  awestruck. 
Their  speech  was  utterly  incomprehensible,  and 
we  were  very  sorry  we  could  only  smile  our  good- 
will, with  accompanying  signs,  for  a  talk  with 
them,  as  we  should  have  had  in  Western  or 


170  SCENES  IX  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 

Northern  India,  was,  alas !  impossible  in  this  the 
extreme  South. 

The  scenerj-  became  more  and  more  beautiful 
as  we  neared  the  goal — Xagercoil.  The  giant 
ghats  rose  before  us  like  a  wall  as  if  to  bar  further 
progress;  but  at  length,  rounding  a  spur,  we  came 
to  a  gap  or  pass,  a  small  opening  in  the  great  ram- 
part so  remarkable  that  it  might  have  led  to  a  lair 
of  Rob  Roy's,  and  by  this  natural  portal  we  en- 
tered the  kino-dom  of  Travancore.  After  we  had 
passed  through  this  we  soon  came  on  the  signs  of 
a  denser  population.  There  were  a  few  scattered 
houses.  Then  came  more  houses  and  streets;  we 
found  we  had  entered  the  town,  and  soon  the  glad 
moment  arrived  when  our  queer  cavalcade  drew 
tip  before  the  door  of  our  friend  the  Rev.  Mr.  Du- 
thie's  mission-house.  He  and  his  wife  and  daugh- 
ter and  son  all  ran  out  to  bid  us  welcome  and  help, 
us  to  alight,  "a  heap  of  dust  and  broken  bones," 
as  my  husband  said. 

We  were  meeting  now  for  the  first  time  in  our 
lives;  but  Mr.  Duthie  had  frequently  written  to 
us  during  our  progress  hither,  and  no  one  has 
been  more  cordial  or  helpful  to  us  in  forming  our 
plans.  Indeed,  the  Nagercoil  mission-house  has 
been  a  sort  of  goal  all  through.  And  here  we  are, 
by  the  good  hand  of  our  God  upon  us. 

We  quite  appreciated  the  cool,  big,  shady  rooms 


TRAVANCORE.     NAGERCOIL.  17I 


into  which  they  took  us  and  all  the  comforts  so 
amply  and  carefully  provided.  The  big  baths 
seemed  specially  welcome;  and  now  after  the  bath 
and  change  of  clothes  and  a  good  rest  and  good 
breakfast  w'e  feel  ready  for  what  may  come. 

Breakfast  in  the  INIofussil  and  country  places 
in  India  means  a  midday  meal,  as  on  the  Conti- 
nent. After  this  was  over,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Lee, 
from  the  mission-house  in  a  compound  across  the 
road  opposite,  came  and  joined  our  party.  We 
all  gathered  in  the  wide,  shady  veranda  a  few 
steps  higher  than  the  garden  and  filled  with  low 
chairs,  when  a  remarkable  and  most  intelligent 
man  called — not  a  Christian — whose  story  and 
conversation  seem  to  have  introduced  us  at  once 
into  the  condition  of  things  among  the  people 
here. 

Travancore  has  been  noted  for  its  intense 
Brahmanism,  and  although  it  is  awakening,  like 
the  rest  of  the  land,  to  progress  and  reform,  yet 
the  enlightening  comes  slowly.  This  man  is  a 
Brahman,  and  was  the  first  individual  who  was 
so  enlightened  and  so  brave  as  to  propose  or  ven- 
ture to  introduce  the  dreadful  innovation  of  wid- 
ow re-marriage.  He  had  a  little  daughter  who 
had  been  married  as  a  child.  The  boy  husband 
died,  and  the  father  knew  well  what  the  little 
girl's  fate  would  be  as  a  life-long  widow — a  wid- 


172  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 

o\v,  though  she  had  never  been  a  wife.  And 
widows  are  as  hardly  treated  here  as  elsewhere  in 
India.  So  he  took  the  daring  resolve  to  have  her 
re-married.  A  tremendous  commotion  was  the 
result;  his  house  was  pulled  down  about  his  ears, 
he  was  expelled  from  the  Brahman  quarter,  put 
out  of  caste,  and  persecuted  in  every  possible  way. 
In  short,  there  was  a  great  iiproar.  But  he  has 
braved  and  outlived  it  all.  He  has  built  a  new 
house  and  also  a  new  well,  for  he  could  not  be 
suffered  even  to  draw  water  and  so  pollute  the 
wells  sacred  to  the  outraged  Brahmans.  This 
was  a  few  years  ago,  and  he  has  held  steadily  and 
manfully  on  his  way,  doing  much  to  promote  en- 
lightenment, encouraging  others  to  go  and  do 
likewise,  and  now  seems  a  most  contented  and 
cheerful  martyr  to  reform.  The  storm  has  done 
much  good,  and  now  innovations  do  not  startle  so 
much.  Only  a  few  years  ago  the  missionaries 
would  have  been  mobbed  and  insulted  had  they 
ventured  to  pass  down  the  Brahman  street;  now 
any  European  may  do  so  without  fear;  and  the 
feeling  of  the  people  to  the  missionaries  has  not 
only  become  less  hostile,  but  is  generally  full  of 
friendliness.  One  or  two  other  cases  of  widow  re- 
marriage have  occurred,  and  the  spirit  of  progress 
is  gaining  sway  even  in  caste-ridden  Travan- 
core. 


TRAVAXCORE.  XAGERCOIL. 


As  soon  as  it  became  cool  enough  Mr.  Duthie 
took  us  out  to  see  something  of  the  place.  It  was 
a  most  lovely  evening,  cool  and  invigorating,  and 
we  had  some  exquisite  mountain  views  as  the 
sun  went  down  behind  the  glorious  masses  in  an 
ocean  of  brilliant  yet  delicate  carmine. 

Nagercoil  is  now  a  large  town,  nestling  cosily 
at  the  foot  of  the  grand  mountain  ranges  which 
encompass  it  on  three  sides.  The  countr\-  opens 
out  on  the  fourth  and  stretches  down  in  beautiful 
undulations,  crowned  with  rich  tropical  vegetation 
and  ten  thousands  of  palmyra  palms,  away  to  the 
Southern  Sea.*  Beautiful  for  situation  indeed  is 
this  famed  mission  station,  hidden  away  in  its 
green  valley  and  closed  in  from  the  outer  world 
by  its  own  glorious  natural  defences.  Some  of 
the  loftier  peaks  are  5,000  or  6,000  feet  high,  and 
the  mission  has  a  sanitarium  not  far  away,  up 
somewhere  among  these  cloud-capped  summits, 
where  the  coffee  estates  abound. 

*  Of  this  flourishing  Christian  settlement  Mr.  Mateer  says, 
"  Nagercoil  was  not  long  since  the  merest  hamlet,  connected 
with  the  Snake  Temple  which  gives  its  name  to  the  place; 
but  having  been  adopted  as  the  headquarters  of  the  London 
Mission  in  these  parts,  it  is  now  a  clean,  well-built,  and  in- 
creasing native  town.  By  their  intelligence  and  industry  in 
various  ways,  and  especially  of  late  years  in  the  coffee-plant- 
ing enterprise,  the  native  Christians  are  becoming  wealthy 
and  a  wonderful  change  has  taken  place."  "  Native  Life  in 
Travancore,"  p.  18. 


1/4 


SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


As  we  came  home  Mr.  Dutliie  took  us  through 
the  Christian  portion  of  the  native  town,  where  we 
were  amused  to  find  the  streets  named  after  the 
missionaries.  Thus  we  drove  down  Duthie  Street, 
Mault  Street,  ]\Iead  Street,  and  so  on.  We  passed 
one  or  two  particularly  tidy  little  houses  standing 
in  compounds,  one  of  which  had  two  stories.  The 
owner  of  this  is  a  well-to-do  coffee-planter,  who 
gives  most  liberally  to  the  mission.  That  a  man 
originally  low  caste,  and  not  increased  in  favor  by 
becoming  a  Christian,  should  have  the  audacity 
to  build  an  imposing  two-storied  dwelling,  filled 
the  Brahmans  with  indignation.  They  threat- 
ened to  pull  it  down  or  burn  it.  But  they  have 
not  yet  executed  their  threat.  Happily  it  still 
stands  there;  and  its  owner  has  returned  good  for 
evil  by  constructing  a  tank  for  public  use. 

As  we  got  nearer  home  we  passed  the  fine 
large  mission-church,  the  largest  in  South  India; 
also  the  girls'  village  school,  a  pretty  building 
erected  only  two  )-ears  ago  by  the  Christian  peo- 
ple all  by  themselves.  The  printing-press,  the 
seminary  or  English  school,  and  other  mission 
buildings  we  also  passed. 

This  mission,  having  its  chief  stations  at  Na- 
gercoil,  Neyoor,  Pareychaley,  and  Trevandrum, 
besides  many  smaller  branches,  belongs  to  the 
London  Missionary  Society.    This  noble  society, 


TRAVANCORE.  NAGERCOIL. 


since  its  formation  in  1795,  has  planted  missions 
in  many  parts  of  the  world,  but  I  fancy  none  of 
them  have  had  their  efforts  more  acknowledged  of 
God  and  more  crowned  with  success  than  this  one 
in  Travancore.  It  has  worked  for  nearly  the 
whole  of  this  century. 

It  is  generally  believed  that  the  eccentric  but 
able  Ringeltaube,  a  German,  began  Christian  work 
in  this  province;  but  Mr.  Duthie  tells  us  of  a  na- 
tive convert  named  Vethananikam  who  was  really 
the  first  to  preach  the  gospel  here.  This  man's 
story  is  verj'  interesting.  He  was  an  earnest, 
thoughtful  man,  his  soul  seeking  something  he 
could  not  find  in  any  heathen  system.  He  went 
on  a  long  pilgrimage  to  some  peculiarly  sacred 
shrine  he  had  heard  of,  hoping  to  find  the  rest 
and  peace  his  spirit  craved.  But  the  unrest  only 
grew  and  the  questionings  became  more  urgent. 
He  was  being  led  of  the  Spirit  of  God  b)-  a  way 
he  knew  not.  Passing  through  Tanjore  he  heard 
of  the  white  men,  the  missionaries,  and  of  the 
new  doctrines  they  were  setting  forth.  Curios- 
ity and  a  certain  hope  led  him  to  the  church, 
Schwartz's  church,  where  Mr.  John  Kohlhoff  was 
preaching.  Now,  for  the  first  time,  he  heard  the 
name  of  Christ,  and  Kohlhoff,  having  noticed 
him,  invited  him  to  come  and  see  liim.  From 
this  time  he  had  constant  intercourse  with  the 


176 


SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


missionaries,  was  instructed  in  the  way  of  salva- 
tion, found  all  he  needed  in  this  heaven-sent  faith, 
and  eventually  become  a  true  and  earnest  believ- 
er. 

Like  Paul,  he  straightway  began  to  preach. 
He  could  not  keep  these  glad  tidings  to  himself; 
he  longed  to  make  them  known  to  his  people,  and 
begged  leave  to  return  to  his  home  amid  the  palm- 
groves  of  the  far  South.  After  a  weary  journey 
he  got  back  to  his  village,  called  Myladi — a  place 
ever  to  be  had  in  remembrance  in  the  history 
of  this  mission.  Here  he  began  his  work  and 
preached  the  truth  faithfully  and  steadil}'.  A 
small  Christian  community  gathered  round  him 
in  time;  but  persecution  followed,  and  soon  be- 
came so  fierce  and  determined  that  he  feared  the 
feeble  light  he  had  been  honored  to  kindle  might 
be  utterly  quenched.  So  once  more  he  set  out  for 
distant  Tanjore  to  beg  his  old  friends  there  to 
send  one  of  their  number — a  European  mission- 
ary— to  minister  to  his  little  flock  in  the  wilder- 
ness. His  request  was  granted;  and  then  it  was 
that  Ringeltaube,  who  had  just  arrived  from 
Prussia  to  join  the  mission  band,  was  set  apart  for 
this  service.  In  due  time  he  came.  Some  of  the 
Christians,  including  Vethananikam,  went  to  meet 
him  as  far  as  the  pass  I  have  spoken  of,  and  wel- 
comed him  to  their  country.    He  settled  in  My- 


TRAVANCORE.     NAGERCOIL.  1 77 


ladi,  where  the  first  Christian  church  was  built 
in  1806;  and  thus  the  gospel  fouud  entrance  into 
this  beautiful  but  darkly  idolatrous  land.  Rin- 
geltaube  was  eccentric,  as  I  have  said,  but  he  was 
peculiarly  devoted;  and,  judging  from  some  quaint 
letters  from  him  to  his  sister,  he  must  have  been 
a  sensitive,  interesting,  and  most  original  person. 
I  cannot  resist  quoting  one  or  two  passages.  The 
first  is  an  answer  to  one  which  took  thirteen 
months  to  reach  him. 

"My  Dear  Hanna:  The  letter  you  wrote  on 
the  13th  May,  1809,  was  not  at  all  expected  by 
me.  In  the  very  night  you  wrote  it  I  lay  down 
sick  in  a  traveller's  bungalow,  exposed  to  the 
wind  and  rain.  I  had  just  bought  the  land  for 
the  first  chapel  in  Travaucore.  When  I  really 
got  possession  of  the  letter,  19th  June,  1810  (thir- 
teen months  after  its  date),  I  sat  in  the  door  of  the 
chapel  now  finished,  and  six  other  chapels  were 
almost  built.  The  news  of  the  life  and  health  of 
our  parents  was  unexpected  by  me:  I  thought 
that,  after  much  suffering,  they  would  have  fallen 
asleep.  As  to  your  little  Frederick,  I  offered  him 
up  immediately  to  the  Giver  of  every  good  and 
perfect  gift  on  the  altar  of  the  new  chapel  in  My- 
ladi.  Your  news  of  our  brothers  and  their  fami- 
lies was  of  a  most  gladdening  kind.  And  surely, 
in  the  troubles  which  I  have  through  bad  Chris- 

BcrnM  In  Knulhein  rnilla.  ]2 


178  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 

tians,  I  wanted  a  little  comfort  for  my  soul.  Now 
the  Lord  be  praised  !' ' 

The  following  gives  a  most  touching  picture 
of  the  every-day  life  of  the  solitary  man: 

"  My  Dear:  Come,  we  will  talk  a  little  with 
one  another.  Do  you  see  the  house  thatched  with 
straw  and  provided  with  ten  pillars  at  the  foot  of 
the  rock  near  the  three  large  tamarind  -  trees  ? 
This  is  your  poor  William's  dwelling-place.  Come 
in.  Though  it  rains  heavily  we  shall  find  per- 
haps a  dry  place.  ho !  three  little  dogs  greet 
you,  wagging  their  tails !  But  no !  their  tails 
have  been  cut  off.  The  black  one  with  the  white 
throat  is  Mr.  Port,  the  other  one  with  the  yellow 
feet  is  Mrs.  Fidelis,  and  the  small  yellow  one  with 
white  feet  is  Miss  Flora.  Flora  is  a  very  jolly 
dog;  we  bark  often  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour  one 
towards  the  other,  and  each  of  us  knows  what  the 
other  intends  to  say. 

"  Well,  what  is  to  be  seen  here?  Four  broken 
chairs,  two  old  couches  made  of  wood  and  reed,  a 
rope  tied  from  one  wall  to  the  other,  on  which  a 
coat,  a  gown,  and  some  boots  are  hanging.  Well, 
and  what  more  ?  Shelves  with  books,  two  tables, 
one  lamp. 

"  Behold,  there  is  my  old  huge  Maratha  horse, 
red,  with  a  white  spot,  and  four  white  feet.  He 
is  better  off  than  his  master,  for  he  is  sleek  and 


TRAVANCORE.  NAGERCOIL. 


179 


fat.  'What  have  you  in  your  box?'  you  ask. 
Clothes,  books,  paper.  '  Why  do  all  things  look 
so  dirty  and  in  such  disorder  ?'  Because  I  am  a 
distressed,  poor  bachelor.  *  Why  do  you  not  mar- 
ry, my  dear  brother?'  Point  d'' argent,  my  dear 
sister.  .  .  . 

"  Well,  good  night,  my  beloved  one !  ray  lamp 
burns  dimly.  It  is  eleven  o'clock;  with  you  it  is 
about  eight.    You  are  sitting  at  the  table  with 

little  Fritz,  Mr.  R  ,  or  with  our  parents.  How 

happy  you  are !  You  are  their  joy  and  comfort  in 
their  old  age.  Kiss  and  embrace  them  and  my 
brothers  heartily.  ...  I  am  now  over  forty  years 
old  and  they  call  me  the  old  Ringeltaube.  Pray 
for  your  poor  WILLIAM." 

"My  life  is  almost  without  any  joy,  for  the 
soul  finds  nothing  new,  and  therefore  nothing 
that  gladdens  it.  The  artificial  help  of  books, 
society,  etc.,  is  lacking  here  entirely.  However, 
I  am  not  cast  down.  We  must  go  through  this 
life  full  of  tribulations  in  one  way  or  another.  It 
is  easy  for  few  only,  and  I  am  persuaded  I  get 
through  it  easier  than  many.  I  often  think  of 
what  was  written  over  the  door  by  that  shoemaker 
in  Oels,  '  May  things  not  become  worse  !'  In  the 
world  all  is  now  in  confusion,  and  also  here  many 
a  change  may  come.  How  happy  we  are  if  we 
feel  that  we  are  in  God's  good  hand  !   That  I  feci 


l8o  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


even  uow.  The  peace  of  God  which  passeth  all 
understanding,  may  it  be  ours !  However,  that 
is  not  always  so,  but  if  it  is  often  so,  it  is  enough 
to  keep  our  hearts  and  minds  in  Christ  Jesus  till 
the  life  eternal  I" 

No  wonder  that  Ringeltaube's  health  gave 
way.  "  It  is  not  good  that  man  should  be  alone. ' ' 
So  pronounced  He  who  made  man.  But  this 
poor  missionary  was  utterly  alone,  as  far  as  his 
own  people  went.  He  seldom  saw  a  European 
and  his  means  were  not  sufficient  to  let  him 
marry. 

Ringeltaube  was  obliged  at  last  to  leave  the 
country.  This  was  in  1816.  But  before  then  he 
had  baptized  i,  100  persons.  Many  are  the  stories 
told  about  him  by  the  native  Christians,  with 
whom  his  work  and  life  and  eccentric  ways  are 
still  a  cherished  memory.  There  is  a  church  still 
at  Myladi — but  not  the  original  one,  though  built 
on  the  site  of  the  old — and  a  good  congregation, 
imder  the  ministry  of  a  native  pastor.  The  mis- 
sion now  numbers  its  converts  at  about  50,000, 
with  250  places  of  worship. 

Before  he  quitted  his  field  Ringeltaube  writes, 
"  I  have  brought  the  mission  to  a  good  standing 
by  the  assistance  of  our  merciful  God,  and  have 
given  it  over  into  the  hands  of  an  honest  English- 
man." 


TRAVANCORE.     NAGERCOIL.  l8l 

This  "honest  Englishman  "  was  the  late  well- 
known  Gen.  Munro,  of  Ross-shire,  then  Col. 
Munro,  resident  at  the  court  of  his  highness  the 
Maharajah  of  Travancore.  He  was  and  is  still 
known  as  "the  good  resident,"  and  his  name 
will  long  be  remembered  all  over  the  south  of 
India.  He  accepted  entire  charge  of  the  infant 
mission,  enlarged  and  strengthened  it,  founded 
schools,  and  endowed  them  with  grants  of  land. 
Mr.  Duthie  and  Mr.  Lee  have  shown  us  the  rice- 
fields  which  are  still  the  property  of  the  mission — 
the  same  that  were  given  by  the  good  resident. 
This  ver>'  house  was  given  by  him,  one  in  which 
he  and  Mrs.  Munro  once  lived.  During  all  his 
long  administration  he  did  everything  to  foster 
the  mission;  and  not  only  so,  but  promoted  what- 
ever was  for  the  moral  and  physical  well-being  of 
the  people  over  the  whole  kingdom.  Happily 
this  is  by  no  means  a  solitary  instance  of  mission- 
ary and  philanthropic  undertakings  being  sup- 
ported and  personally  assisted  by  the  servants  of 
Government— just  such  noble,  disinterested  Chris- 
tian  men  as  Col.  Munro. 

One  morning,  while  breakfasting  with  Mr. 
Lee,  he  showed  us  a  box  of  curious  old  parch- 
ments left  by  the  resident,  the  title-deeds  of  the 
land  and  other  property,  written  in  Tamil  on  long 
slips  of  the  palmyra  leaf,  all  tied  into  little  bun- 


lS2  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 

dies.  This  wonderful  palm-leaf  still  provides  the 
stationers'  chiefly  used  in  the  country. 

We  also  saw  the  veritable  cot  or  couch  used 
by  Ringeltaube,  a  most  primitive  article,  suggest- 
ive rather  of  penance  than  rest.  I  should  like  to 
see  it  in  some  missionar}-  museum.  Mr.  Lee  kind- 
ly took  us  all  over  his  premises  the  same  morn- 
ing, including  the  printing-press  and  his  charm- 
ing girls'  boarding-school.  His  wife  is  an  invalid 
and  at  home,  but  he  bravely  manages  the  fifty-six 
children  himself,  with  the  aid  of  his  good  Chris- 
tian matron  and  Christian  teachers.  The  copy- 
books are  all  made  of  the  palmyra  leaf,  neatly  cut 
into  narrow  long  slips.  The  children  presented 
me  with  some  manuscripts  of  this  sort,  along  with 
the  neat  little  case  of  implements  used  in  cutting 
up  the  leaf  and  performing  the  penmanship.  One 
of  the  teachers  had  printed  a  te.xt  on  a  large  card 
in  English  and  hung  it  on  the  wall  of  the  large 
schoolroom  as  a  welcome  to  us.  It  was  the  first 
thing  we  saw  as  we  entered,  and  the  words  were, 
"  The  Lord  shall  preserve  thy  going  out  and  thy 
coming  in,  from  this  time  forth  and  even  for  ever- 
more." Later  on,  as  we  were  taking  leave,  after 
we  had  heard  the  classes  read  and  sing,  etc.,  one 
of  the  elder  girls,  with  a  ven.-  sweet  face,  came  up 
to  me  and  said  in  pretty  English,  "Ma'am,  we 
have  learned  a  text  for  you;"  whereupon  the  first 


TRAVANCORE.  NAGERCOIL. 


class  repeated  the  beautiful  words,  "The  Lord 
bless  thee  and  keep  thee;  the  Lord  make  his  face 
shine  upon  thee  and  be  gracious  to  thee ;  the  Lord 
lift  up  his  countenance  upon  thee  and  give  thee 
peace!"  I  think  even  the  men  had  their  eyes  wet 
before  the  children  had  finished  repeating  it,  and 
it  was  entirely  their  own  thought.  Mr.  Lee  was 
as  much  surprised  as  we  were.  The  schools  are 
very  similar  to  others  already  described,  and  are 
all  admirable  after  their  kind — day  and  boarding 
schools — Tamil  and  English  schools.  Of  course 
the  most  important  are  the  large  seminary  and 
preparatorj'  school,  for  the  education  and  training 
of  young  men  who  are  afterwards  to  be  employed 
in  the  work  of  the  mission,  such  as  teachers,  evan- 
gelists, pastors,  catechists,  and  so  on.  These  im- 
portant institutions  are  entirely  conducted  by  Mr. 
Duthie  and  his  son,  and  represent  a  great  deal  of 
hard,  thorough  work.  The  buildings  stand  close 
to  the  mission-house,  and  it  is  pleasant  to  see  the 
lads  about  through  the  compound  at  all  hours. 
They  seem  specially  pleased  to  help  Mrs.  and 
Miss  Duthie  in  their  gardening,  and  water  the 
plants  of  an  evening.  There  are  207  students 
altogether,  83  of  whom  are  boarders  who  live  on 
the  premises.  They  are  pleasant,  intelligent  lads. 
Whenever  an  agent  is  wanted  at  any  of  the  sta- 
tions, the  lack  is  supplied  from  the  seminary, 


184  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 

which  is  thus  the  Christian  training  college  for 
the  whole  mission. 

There  is  a  first-rate  Government  college  at 
Trevandrum,  presided  over  by  Prof.  Ross,  and 
called  the  Maharajah's  College,  which  provides 
both  English  and  vernacular  education  for  all 
classes  and  castes.  Christian  and  non-Christian ; 
but  this  one  in  Nagercoil  is  distinctively  Chris- 
tian and  is  supported  by  the  mission.  One  thing 
most  creditable  to  it  is  that  last  year  the  first  prize 
in  the  Cator  examination  in  Madras  for  Scripture 
knowledge  was  carried  off  by  one  of  its  students. 
The  seminary  and  the  Maharajah's  College  in 
Trevandrum  stand  together  in  the  forefront  of  all 
educational  work  in  Travancore.  Is  not  the  tol- 
erance extended  to  Christian  missions  by  this  en- 
lightened native  State  remarkable? 

One  feature  in  the  day-schools  here  is  quite 
new:  they  cost  the  mission  nothing!  The  teach- 
ers are  all  paid  by  the  native  Christian  commu- 
nity, being  simply  salaried,  as  the  pastors  are  sal- 
aried ;  but  Mr.  Duthie  superintends  the  boys' 
schools,  while  Mrs.  Duthie  and  her  daughter  do 
the  same  for  the  girls'.  No  part  of  the  mission 
work  is  telling  more  on  the  people  as  a  whole. 


woman's  work.    SUNDAY  AT  NAGERCOIL.  185 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

woman's  work.     SUNDAY  AT  NAGERCOIL. 

One  of  the  specialties  in  Nagercoil  is  the  lace 
industry,  which  is  carried  on  by  the  Christian 
women,  superintended  by  the  missionaries'  wives. 
It  was  introduced  some  fifty  years  ago  by  the  late 
Mrs.  Mault,  and  has  done  wonders  for  the  people. 
Hundreds  of  poor  Christians  gain  a  living  by  it. 
The  ladies  take  the  orders  and  also  all  the  trouble 
of  the  sale.  After  the  women  are  paid  for  their 
work  the  profits  go  to  the  support  of  Bible-wo- 
men's work.  The  success  of  this  industry  is  most 
cheering;  and  now  it  has  two  offshoots,  one  under 
Mrs.  Caldwell,  who  is  the  daughter  of  Mrs.  Mault, 
and  one  at  Benares.  But  it  originated  in  Nager- 
coil, and  the  lace  here  manufactured  has  <rained 
medals  at  three  national  exhibitions. 

Mrs.  Duthie  very  kindly  had  an  assemblage  of 
lace-makers  in  the  veranda,  that  I  might  see  them 
at  work.  About  forty  women  came — tidy,  re- 
spectable, intelligent  matrons — who  sat  in  a  row 
round  the  veranda  on  the  floor,  with  their  lace- 
pillows  on  their  laps ;  and  the  clever,  handy  way 
in  which  they  manipulated  tlic  fine  thread  and 


lS6  SCENES  IX  SOUTHERX  IXDIA. 


pins  and  produced  the  delicate  fabric  was  most 
curious  and  interesting  to  see,  and  the  workers 
seemed  equally  pleased  to  show  their  work. 

I  saw  some  of  the  women  being  paid  to-day, 
and  the  money  in  which  this  was  done  amused 
me  much.  The  coin  is  the  smallest,  I  suppose, 
in  circulation  anywhere.  It  is  called  chiukrum^ 
and  is  a  wee,  fat,  round  bit  of  silver  the  size  of  a 
split  pea  and  covered  with  characters.  The  way 
in  which  it  is  counted  is  also  droll.  There  are 
neat  little  boards  of  different  sizes  filled  with  holes, 
into  which  a  handful  of  the  coins  is  thrown,  each 
coin  fitting  its  hole.  One  size  holds  one  rupee's 
worth,  another  five  rupees,  another  ten,  another 
twenty,  and  so  on.  There  are  larger  coins  in  cir- 
culation, but  the  chtickrum  is  most  in  use.  I  have 
had  a  pretty  necklace  and  bracelet  given  me 
made  of  these  little  coins,  which  are  quite  curi- 
osities. 

Yesterday  afternoon  Miss  Duthie  drove  me  in 
the  little  pony-carriage  to  see  some  of  the  zenana 
and  Bible-women's  work,  which  has  happily  made 
a  good  beginning  here  and  is  specially  interest- 
ing in  a  caste-ridden  place  like  this.  I  have  said 
how  thoroughly  Travancore  has  hitherto  been 
under  the  thrall  of  the  Brahmans — given  over  to 
superstition  and  slavery-  and  all  cruelty  and  bond- 
age untold.    .\  ver)-  few  years  ago  these  Bible- 


woman's  work.     SUNDAY  AT  NAGERCOIL.  1S7 

women  would  not  have  dared  to  attempt  the  work 
the)-  now  are  able  to  do.  They  would  not  only 
have  been  driven  from  the  doors  into  which  they 
now  find  entrance,  but  they  could  not  have  ven- 
tured to  tread  the  street,  far  less  enter  the  house 
of  a  good-caste  family.  They  work  chiefly  among 
the  Sudra  and  Vellala  castes.  As  yet  there  is  not 
a  single  Brahman  woman  under  instruction  of  any 
sort  in  Nagercoil.  One  seems  to  g^o  back  to  old 
experiences  and  times  now  happily  gone  by  in 
other  parts  of  India.  One  thing  ought  to  be  borne 
in  mind,  however:  namely,  the  success  of  the  gos- 
pel among  the  low  castes;  and  this  ven.-  success  is 
quite  enough  to  account  for  the  smaller  progress 
among  the  higher.  One  may  smile  or  be  indig- 
nant at  the  absurdities  of  caste,  but  it  is  the 
strength  of  this  old-world  religion,  which  is  so 
interwoven  with  the  history  and  afiections  and 
the  very  life  of  the  people.  It  is  the  cement 
which  binds  it  all  together  and  makes  it  like  a 
rock  of  adamant,  which,  alas,  it  still  is,  though 
in  some  places  the  foundations  begin  to  shake.  I 
believe  the  Brahmans  are  becoming  afraid  as  well 
as  jealous  of  the  standing  and  influence  the  Chris- 
tian Shanars  are  attaining,  and  are  bestirring 
themselves  in  the  matter  of  English  education. 
God  has  chosen  the  weak  and  despised  things  of 
the  world  to  confound  those  that  call  themselves 


lS8  vSCENKS  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 

mighty  in  this  stronghold  of  Brahmanism  and  su- 
perstition. 

The  missionaries  have  had  some  ctirious  bat- 
tles to  fight.  One  was  to  secure  to  the  women 
the  privilege  of  clothing  themselves  with  decency. 
The  female  portion  of  the  Shanar  community  were 
most  immodest  in  their  attire,  wearing  nothing 
on  their  persons  above  the  waist.  The  mission 
ladies  were  naturally  determined  to  alter  this 
practice — at  least  among  the  Christians — and  in- 
troduced a  completer  style  of  dress,  including  a 
jacket,  in  addition  to  the  cloth  which  encircles 
the  loins.  The  higher  castes  were  furious  at 
the  presumption  of  "the  low-born."  There  was 
the  usual  disturbance;  and  whenever  the  poor 
women  appeared  outside  their  doors  they  were 
attacked  and  the  offending  garments  literally  torn 
off  their  backs  !  But  the  magistrates  interposed, 
and  now  the  poor  things  may  go  forth  unmolested 
though  decently  attired.  Miss  Duthie  took  me 
to  one  house  where  we  were  received  by  a  bright, 
brisk  little  woman  in  a  sort  of  inclosed  court, 
open  to  the  sky.  She  would  not  admit  us  quite 
into  the  house;  and  I  was  amused  to  notice  that 
she  took  care  to  sit  to  windward  of  us,  so  that  all 
the  pollution  we  brought  might  be  blown  straight 
away  without  touching  her.  Nothing  must  come 
"betwixt  the  wind  and  her  nobility,"  as  Harry 


woman's  work.    SUNDAY  AT  NAGERCOIL-  1 89 

Hotspur  puts  it.  Yet  she  was  by  no  means  a 
Brahman.  This  puts  me  in  mind  of  a  visit  I 
once  paid  in  Calcutta  at  a  time  when  the  visits 
of  European  ladies  were  not  so  universally  wel- 
come in  Bengali  homes  as  they  are  happily  now: 
I  was  allowed  to  stand  for  a  few  minutes  in  the 
veranda,  but  was  evidently  unwelcome;  and  as 
I  moved  away  a  metrani^  or  sweeper — a  menial 
of  the  very  lowest  description — was  ordered  to 
cleanse  the  place  where  I  had  stood. 

Our  small  hostess  was  gorgeously  attired,  and 
was  very  much  in  the  fashion  as  to  the  torn  ear. 
The  lobe  was  weighted  with  rows  of  thick,  mas- 
sive gold  and  silver  rings,  which  dragged  it  down 
in  a  hideous  manner,  almost  to  the  shoulder. 
She  had  plenty  of  gold  and  silver  on  her  person 
otherwise,  which  surprised  me,  as  I  knew  that 
she  was  a  widow,  and  Hindoo  law  forbids  widows 
to  wear  ornaments.  A  remark  I  made  on  the 
subject  afterwards  brought  out  some  curious  facts 
as  to  the  customs  and  laws  in  this  strange  country, 
especially  in  the  laws  of  succession  to  property. 
It  seems  she  was  the  sister  of  a  very  rich  man, 
who  has  lately  died,  and  all  his  wealth  has  come 
to  her  son,  as  heir  of  the  inheritance,  not  to  his 
own  !  This  is  perplexing  and  hardly  to  be  be- 
lieved; but  it  is  true.  You  may  be  as  rich  a  man 
as  you  please  and  as  great;  but  when  you  die, 


190  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


your  sister's  children,  not  your  own,  will  inherit 
your  property,  your  money,  your  titles,  your  posi- 
tion, your  very  name;  all  must  descend  in  the 
female  line  !  In  this  sense  one  has  to  fight  here, 
not  for  woman's  rights,  but  for  man's.  I  am 
afraid  this  state  of  things  points  to  a  very  loose 
morality  as  existing  somewhere.  However,  I  am 
not  going  to  enter  into  the  mysteries  of  caste  and 
custom  and  the  strange  code  they  necessitate;  it 
is  much  too  intricate  a  subject.  But  I  am  thank- 
ful to  say  the  missionaries  utterly  discountenance 
the  observance  of  caste  in  any  form. 

We  have  had  an  intensely  interesting  day. 
Some  time  ago  Mr.  Duthie  wrote,  "Be  sure  you 
keep  a  Sunday  for  us,"  which  we  were  careful 
to  do.  At  seven  o'clock  the  great  bell  gave  forth 
its  invitation  to  service,  and  we  all  went  through 
the  cool  morning  air  to  the  church,  which  stands 
close  by  in  a  compound  of  its  own.  When  wc  en- 
tered I  was  struck  with  astonishment.  Here  was 
an  immense  building,  certainly  the  biggest  mission- 
church  we  have  ever  seen,  filled  throughout  with 
as  decent  and  respectable  a  congregation  as  you 
could  see  at  home.  The  pulpit  stood  a  good  way 
down  from  the  end  of  the  church  with  pews  ar- 
ranged in  front  of  it  on  each  side  of  a  wide 
passage  to  the  door.  These  were  crowded — the 
women  on  the  right  and  the  men  on  the  left, 


woman's  work.    SUNDAY  AT  NAGERCOIL.  191 

while  on  the  floor,  round  the  pulpit,  up  to  the 
end,  and  round  every  pillar  the  little  ones  of  the 
flock  were  set  as  thickly  as  they  could  be  put. 
The  girls  from  the  boarding-school  sat  together, 
and  the  lads  from  the  seminary  in  another  group; 
but  most  of  the  children  had  come  with  their  pa- 
rents from  their  own  village  houses,  and  were 
grouped  in  this  fashion  on  the  floor  that  they  might 
take  up  less  of  the  precious  space.  It  was  a  won- 
derfully interesting  sight,  they  were  so  tidy  and 
neat  in  their  Sunday  best;  and  the  little  creatures 
behaved  with  a  quietness  and  propriety  which 
would  have  been  impossible  to  English  children 
of  the  same  age.  The  church  is  a  plain,  white- 
washed building,  with  an  arched  roof  supported 
by  double  rows  of  fine  large  pillars,  and  having  a 
great  number  of  doors  and  windows,  all  thrown 
wide  open  to  admit  the  fresh  air  of  the  morning, 
while  the  beautiful  trees  which  fill  the  compound 
and  surround  the  church  gave  delicious  shade 
from  the  fast-mounting  sun.  Some  marble  tablets 
are  set  in  the  wall  at  the  upper  end,  in  memory 
of  some  of  the  good  missionaries  who  have  passed 
away.  These  are  the  only  decoration.  Mr.  Du- 
thie  conducted  the  preliminary  services,  and  then 
my  husband  preached  the  sermon,  which  was 
interpreted  by  the  native  pastor  sentence  by  sen- 
tence.   All  the  service  was  in  Tamil,  except  the 


193  SCENES  IX  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


first  hymn,  which  was  English,  and  sung  by  all 
the  congregation.  ^liss  Duthie  played  the  har- 
monium, and  the  people  stood  during  the  singing 
and  reverently  knelt  at  prayer,  joining  audibly  in 
the  Lord's  Prayer  and  reading  ever>'  alternate 
verse  of  the  Psalms  for  the  day.  Apparently  all 
the  people  can  read. 

It  was  one  of  the  most  thrillingly  interesting 
and  impressive  serv  ices  I  have  ever  been  present 
at,  and  stirred  our  hearts  more  than  I  can  tell.  I 
would  have  come  all  this  way,  though  for  nothing 
else  than  to  see  that  large  congregation  of  devout, 
■worshipping,  intelligent,  well-to-do,  self-respect- 
ing people,  who  support  their  own  pastor  and 
schoolmasters.  Besides  this,  they  contributed  last 
year  3,000  rupees  to  the  general  work  of  the  mis- 
sion in  operating  on  the  outside  heathen.  The 
service  lasted  for  two  hours,  and  then  came  the 
slow  retiring  of  the  people  — "the  skailing  of  the 
kirk,"  as  we  should  say  in  Scotland;  and  this  was 
as  fine  a  sight  as  any.  Many  gathered  round  to 
shake  hands  and  talk  to  us  strangers;  and  then 
we  watched  the  picturesque  groups  wending  their 
way  homeward,  the  fathers  with  the  little  ones  in 
their  hands  and  the  women  in  twos  and  threes 
behind.  It  put  me  in  mind  of  similar  scenes  I 
have  watched  a  hundred  times  on  the  hillsides 
at  home,  generally  on  a  "Sabbath  eve  in  sum- 


woman's  work.    SUNDAY  AT  NAGERCOIL.  I93 

mertide,"  when  a  solemn  communion-time  had 
gathered  many  grave  worshippers  from  far  and 
near,  who,  now  that  the  services  were  over  and 
the  day  far  spent,  were  reverently  retiring  from 
the  moor  or  glen  where  the  congregation  had 
sat  and  worshipped,  where  they  had  had  their 
"feast  of  fat  things"  during  the  long  summer 
day. 

But  this  was  only  the  first  of  many  ser\-ices. 
The  church  bell  seemed  to  ring  out  all  day  for 
something  or  other.  First  came  the  various  Sun- 
day-schools, one  or  two  in  the  church,  one  in  the 
veranda  of  the  mission-house,  and  I  think  also  in 
the  girls'  and  boys'  day-schools. 

These  Sunday-schools  are  now  quite  a  feature 
— and  a  most  important  one — in  every  mission. 
A  meeting  I  enjoyed  very  much  was  one  with  the 
Bible-women  in  the  forenoon  in  our  wide  veranda. 
Another,  after  an  hour's  rest,  and  I  think  the 
most  interesting  of  all,  was  a  monster  Bible-class 
for  grown-up  women  in  the  church.  The  mis- 
sionaries rightly  regard  the  training  of  the  wives 
and  mothers  as  of  the  first  importance;  hence  this 
regular  catechising  which  is  held  every  Sunday 
afternoon.  And  truly  it  was  a  striking  sight  to  see 
the  big  church  quite  filled  with  women — all  Chris- 
tians, of  course — from  the  aged,  gray-haired  great- 
grandmother  downwards.  Many  of  the  younger 
13 


ig4  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


women  had  babies  in  tlieir  arms  and  all  had 
open  Bibles  in  their  hands.  They  were  being 
questioned  by  the  pastor  when  we  went  in,  and 
every  one  in  turn  gave  out  her  answer  in  a  free, 
frank,  natural  way,  occasionally  putting  a  ques- 
tion in  return.  The  pastor  at  once  handed  over 
the  exercise  to  my  husband,  who  catechised  all 
round  quite  con  amore ;  and  we  were  delighted 
with  the  intelligence  and  knowledge  of  many  of 
the  women,  especially  those  who  had  been  Chris- 
tians from  their  youth  up. 

A  short  evening  service  closed  the  busy  day. 
]\Ir.  Lee  the  while  had  been  away  in  different 
parts  of  his  extensive  parish.  He  has  sixty  sta- 
tions under  his  supervision  in  a  radius  of  about 
twenty  miles.  These  he  visits  alternately,  and 
each  has  its  pastor  or  catechist  and  place  of  wor- 
ship. 

We  drove  one  afternoon  into  the  native  town 
of  Kottar  to  see  the  church  in  which  Francis 
Xavier  preached  so  long.  It  is  rather  a  large, 
good  building,  with  a  stone  porch  and  a  stone 
floor,  on  which  several  poor-looking  worshippers 
were  kneeling,  and  a  priest  was  at  the  high  altar 
engaged  in  some  service.  The  house  where  the 
great  missionary  lived  stands  somewhere  near. 
He  was  a  great  missionary.  Whatever  his  errors, 
they  were  those  of  his  church.    His  zeal,  his  cu- 


woman's  work.    SUNDAY  AT  NAGERCOIL.  195 

thusiasm,  his  self-consecration  and  devotion  to 
the  mission  cause,  were  truly  heroic.  It  is  told 
of  him  that  the  whole  of  the  first  night  he  was  on 
Indian  soil  he  spent  in  solitary  prayer  to  God,  for 
whose  service  he  had  given  up  much,  or  all^  in 
his  native  land. 


196  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

CAPE  COMORI^f. 

Our  kind  friends  had  promised  iis  a  sight  of 
their  Ultima  Thule,  the  renowned  cape,  the 
Land's  End  of  India.  So  yesterday  this  famous 
expedition  came  off.  All  had  been  most  kindly 
prepared  the  night  before,  and  at  two  in  the  morn- 
ing my  husband  and  I  stole  noiselessly  out  of  Mr. 
Duthie's  veranda.  Silently  we  took  our  seats  in 
two  light  cane  chairs  slung  between  long  stout 
bamboos.  There  were  eight  bearers  to  each  chair, 
dressed,  as  usual,  in  their  own  tidy  black  skins, 
stalwart,  civil  men,  half  their  number  doing  duty 
at  a  time.  Thus,  each  "borne  of  four,"  we  set 
out  on  our  night-march  of  twelve  miles.  It  was 
certainly  a  dreary,  sleepy  start,  for  the  young 
moon  had  set  and  it  was  pitch  dark.  I  could  not 
help  casting  a  few  longing  looks  back  to  the  deep 
repose  from  which  we  had  been  aroused,  for  one's 
natural  rest  does  count  for  a  good  deal  after  such 
hot  and  busy  days.  We  had  no  cheerful,  flaming 
torches  either  which  generally  accompany  the 
night  traveller  in  India;  they  do  not  seem  to  be 
the  fashion  here.    However,  the  night  air  was 


CAPK  COMORIN. 


197 


very  refreshing;  the  murky  canopy  overhead  soon 
began  to  reveal  a  silver  lining,  the  clouds  gath- 
ered themselves  away  to  the  mountain-tops,  and 
the  beautiful  stars  gleamed  out  of  the  darkness, 
filling  one's  mind  with  sweet  and  happy  thoughts. 
How  often,  in  like  manner,  do  the  gracious  prom- 
ises of  our  God  shine  out  through  the  deepest  sor- 
row-clouds, making  us  lift  up  our  eyes  towards 
the  heavens,  from  whence  comes  our  help  ! 

As  soon  as  we  had  quite  cleared  the  mission 
compound  and  were  out  of  hearing  our  bearers 
set  up  a  plaintive  sort  of  chant  in  a  high  mono- 
tone, which,  on  the  whole,  was  rather  pleasing. 
They  trudged  cheerily  along  the  broad,  tolerably 
good  road,  amply  fringed  with  fine  large  banyan- 
trees  and  now  and  then  narrowing  into  what 
looked  merely  a  bridge  over  the  numerous  bits  of 
water  gathered  in  tanks  and  in  the  little  rice- 
fields.  We  passed  a  number  of  hamlets,  which 
lay  silent  as  the  dead  except  for  the  howls  of  the 
wretched  pariah  dogs  of  evil  nature  who  infest 
every  village  in  the  East,  and  the  crowing  of  the 
village  cocks,  a  cheering  intimation  that  dawn 
was  not  far  off.  Accordingly  after  a  steady  march 
of  full  three  hours  a  few  delicate  lines  of  pearly 
gray  tinged  faintly  the  eastern  sky.  Gradually 
the  color  deepened  ;  a  pinky  shade  stole  softly 
into  the  gray,  which  again  deepened  at  the  hori- 


igS  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


zon  to  a  brilliant  rose,  and  then  the  sun  showed 
himself  and  the  light  of  day  triumphed  gloriously 
over  the  darkness  and  dreariness  of  the  nijrht. 
Very  soon  we  heard  the  murmur  of  the  sea  and 
we  found  we  were  near  our  journey's  end.  We 
had  left  the  mountains  behind  and  the  land  had 
gradually  narrowed.  The  cultivation  now  was 
more  rude;  the  soil  and  the  roads  had  alike  be- 
come sand  and  the  trees  looked  knotted  and 
gnarled  with  bared  roots  and  storm -driven 
branches,  like  veteran  tars  who  had  withstood 
many  a  tempest  in  the  shrouds.  Then  came  the 
palmyra-fringed  coast  and  finally  the  great  wide 
sea,  looking  shivery  and  slate-colored,  with  the 
strangest  fishing  craft  about  and  boats  and  canoes 
close  to  the  shore. 

Mr.  Lee  had  come  out  the  day  before  to  one 
of  his  stations,  arranging  to  meet  us  here,  and 
now  he  rode  up  and  took  possession  of  us  in  a 
very  restful  way.  He  conducted  us  to  a  large 
empty  bungalow,  standing  high  over  the  sea,  a 
sort  of  sanitarium  belonging  to  the  resident  at 
the  maharajah's  court  in  Trevandrum.  Here  the 
happy  possessor  has  a  glorious  sea-view  with  per- 
fect solitude  and  leisure  and  good  hearty  whiffs 
of  the  invigorating  salt-sea  breeze.  Mr.  Lee's 
ser\^ant  awaited  us  here  with  a  tin  of  hot  coffee, 
after  which  welcome  refreshment  we  were  able  to 


CAPE  COMORIX. 


199 


go  forth  and  explore.  The  bearers  threw  them- 
selves down  on  the  sand  and  were  asleep  iu  a 
minute. 

Although  Travancore  as  a  whole  is  so  full  of 
natural  loveliness,  yet  just  at  the  cape  there  is 
nothing  very  striking  in  the  scenery.  The  grand 
mountain  ranges  of  the  Western  Ghats,  though 
sometimes  taken  by  navigators  for  the  cape,  are 
some  distance  from  it. 

There  are  no  bold  headlands  or  precipitous 
crags  lighthouse-crowned  just  at  the  land's  end, 
only  a  few  island-rocks  with  the  white  surf  dash- 
ing over  them,  and  always  the  beautiful,  glitter- 
ing sea  stretching  away  to  the  far  horizon.  But 
there  are  other  things  interesting  and  new.  It 
was  curious  to  watch  the  long,  narrow  canoes,  the 
catamarans  of  the  coast,  each  with  its  picturesque 
occupant,  a  stalwart,  broad-chested,  bronze  fisher- 
man, entirely  innocent  of  clothing  but  for  a  bit  of 
rag  round  his  loins,  standing  erect  in  his  boat, 
with  an  oar  or  fishing-tackle  in  his  hand,  suspend- 
ing operations  while  he  stared  at  the  intruders. 
These  canoes  are  built  from  the  stem  of  a  single 
tree  and  are  generally  of  the  rudest  construction. 

Another  feature  was  the  endless  forests  of  the 
palmyra  and  cocoa  palm.  Along  the  shore  on 
every  hand  there  stretches  a  broad  margin  of 
deep,  sandy  waste,  which  is  filled  with  ten  thou- 


200  SCENES  IX  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 

sands  of  these  stately,  remarkable  trees.  This 
tree,  indeed,  is  the  only  thing  in  vegetation 
which  could  find  sustenance  in  this  unkindly  soil, 
and  it  does  so  because  it  strikes  its  roots  down 
deep  enough  until  it  finds  what  is  needful  to  its 
life.  The  palmyra  is  not  exactly  a  pretty  tree, 
but  it  is  exceedingly  majestic  and  the  staflf  of  life 
to  the  poor  population  of  the  coast 

From  the  palm  forests  we  scrambled  down 
among  the  rocks,  until  the  green  waves  rippled  to 
our  feet,  and  here  we  found  new  "treasures  of  the 
deep,"  more  strange  and  beautiful  than  anything 
we  had  ever  seen  before,  in  the  marvellously-col- 
ored sands  which  embellish  this  curious  shore. 
It  was  chiefly  to  see  these  we  came  to  the  cape, 
and  they  are  quite  as  wonderful  and  beautiful  as 
we  had  been  told.  Picture  a  great  bed  of  fine, 
soft  sea-sand  entirely  black,  then  close  to  it,  but 
quite  distinct,  another  of  brilliant  ruby  red,  spark- 
ling and  shimmering  in  the  sun-rays  like  crushed 
diamonds  and  rubies;  then  another  bed,  much  the 
same  iu  size,  of  a  yellowish  white  hue,  large  and 
rough-grained:  this  is  the  famous  rice-sand,  and 
it  exactly  resembles  unboiled  rice.  After  the  rice 
comes  another  bed  of  the  brilliant  red,  and  an- 
other and  another,  of  black,  garnet,  and  white, 
alternating  like  beds  in  a  flower  parterre  and  quite 
as  distinct,  the  colors  always  keeping  apart. 


CAPE  COMORIX. 


20I 


By-and-by  we  strolled  up  towards  a  village 
which  crowned  a  little  eminence  over  the  sea. 
Some  men  had  come  down  to  look  at  us,  and  alto- 
gether our  appearance  seemed  to  create  much 
wonderment;  but  the  people  were  always  pleased 
when  ^Ir.  Lee  spoke  to  them  in  their  own  tongue. 
They  are  certainly  the  strangest  looking  savages 
we  have  yet  seen  in  this  region.  The  women 
look  specially  wild.  Their  hair  stands  on  end  in 
a  brush  on  the  top  of  their  heads,  and  they  have 
no  clothing  beyond  the  bit  of  dirty  rag,  called  a 
cloth,  hung  round  from  the  waist.  We  parsed 
unmolested  through  the  Brahman  street — a  great 
concession,  for  there  is  a  large  temple  here  dedi- 
cated to  the  god  Shiva,  and  it  is  esteemed  a  spe- 
cially holy  spot.  Indeed,  the  whole  place  is  con- 
sidered sacred,  and  great  numbers  of  pilgrims  visit 
the  temple  at  certain  periods  of  the  year.  There 
were  many  dark-visaged  men,  much  besmeared 
with  white  ashes  and  paint,  loafing  idly  about, 
who  did  not  seem  to  relish  our  presence  and  who 
point  blank  refused  to  let  the  gentlemen  enter 
even  the  outer  inclosure  of  the  temple.  The  pa- 
tron goddess  of  this  great  shrine  is  Durga,  one  of 
the  wives  of  Shiva,  and  the  building  is  said  to  be 
of  very  ancient  date.  It  is  completely  surrounded 
by  high  walls,  ornamented  with  stripes  of  color, 
and  there  are  four  fine  monoliths  in  front. 


202  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


It  was  now  getting  hot,  as  the  sun  was  rapidly 
mounting  in  the  heavens,  and,  being  tired,  I  sat 
down  in  the  shade,  while  the  gentlemen  went  in 
search  of  some  of  the  villages  where  the  Roman- 
catholic  fishermen  were  to  be  found.  There  are 
many  Roman  -  catholics  on  this  coast,  Xavier 
having  commenced  a  mission  here  in  1542,  and 
most  are  fishermen.  The  gentlemen  entered  one 
or  two  villages,  which  were  unspeakably  filthy, 
with  swarms  of  children  and  dogs  and  flies,  and 
hideous  with  smells.  They  found  in  one  of  them 
two  cars  like  those  of  the  god  Juggernaut,  which 
are  drawn  about  during  festival  times.  One  is 
dedicated  to  St.  Joseph  and  the  other  to  the  Vir- 
gin Mary,  so  low  have  these  poor  so-called  Chris- 
tians sunk. 

Meanwhile  I  was  soon  surrounded  by  a  crowd 
of  women  and  children,  with  a  ring  of  men  out- 
side, all  staring  at  the  white-faced  stranger  most 
unmercifully  and  keeping  up  a  chorus  of  begging. 
It  was  a  strange  place.  Within  a  stone's  throw 
of  where  I  sat  there  was  the  large  Hindoo  temple, 
also  a  mandapmi,  or  temple-court,  with  handsome 
carved  pillars  and  sculptures  and  innumerable 
grotesque  little  carved  deities  stuck  over  every 
place.  A  little  way  off  there  were  several  white 
pyramidal  stones  used  by  the  Shanars  for  their 
devil-worship,  and,  in  the  midst  of  all,  a  Roman- 


CAPE  COMORIN.  203 

catholic  church,  sunnouuted  by  a  cross.  Behind 
me  a  noisy  school  of  both  boys  and  girls  occupied 
the  veranda  of  the  inandapan^  shouting  their  les- 
sons at  the  top  of  their  voices  or  scratching  their 
"copies"  with  a  dagger-like  stylus  on  slips  of 
palm  leaf.  These  slips  were  very  neatly  cut,  and 
the  little  urchins  were  proud  to  show  me  their  ac- 
complishment in  writing  on  these  novel  copy- 
books. I  was  not  sorry  when  the  gentlemen  re- 
appeared. 

We  got  into  our  chairs  and,  preceded  by  Mr. 
Lee  on  his  good  little  steed  as  a  guide,  set  out  for 
the  village  where  we  were  to  spend  the  day.  Mr. 
Lee  once  interrupted  a  devil-dance  in  this  place. 
A  crowd  surrounded  a  man  who  was  gesticulating 
frantically  and  spinning  round  in  a  kind  of  dance, 
pretending  to  be  "  possessed. "  He  tried  to  fright- 
en the  pony  and  so  get  rid  of  the  rider,  but  Mr. 
Lee  made  the  frisky  little  creature  caper  about  a 
little,  when  the  man  bolted,  terror-stricken.  The 
fickle  crowd  shouted  in  derision  and  finally  heard 
the  missionary  with  quiet  attention  for  an  hour 
while  he  preached  to  them  from  his  saddle.  Af- 
terwards some  of  them  came  regularly  to  seek 
him  and  hear  him  at  his  nearest  preaching  sta- 
tion. 

Our  route  lay  over  the  sand  through  the  thick 
palmyra  forest.    Here  this  prince  of  trees,  as  it  is 


204  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 

rightly  called,  exists  in  all  its  majesty  and  useful- 
ness. A  proverb  says  of  it,  "If  you  plant  it,  it 
will  grow  for  a  thousand  years;  if  you  cut  it,  it 
will  last  a  thousand  years."  They  also  say  that 
it  can  supply  every  real  need  of  a  man's  life. 
With  its  wood  he  can  build  his  house  or  his  ca- 
noe; the  branches  provide  the  thatch  and  the  in- 
closures,  also  his  punka,  umbrella,  rope,  station- 
ery, and  a  thousand  things,  while  the  sap  is  so 
nutritious  he  can  almost  live  upon  it. 

We  stopped  for  a  little  while  to  watch  the 
climbers  go  up  the  tree  and  get  some  of  the  juice 
for  our  men  to  drink.  It  was  most  amusing  to 
see  them  clamber  up  the  straight,  bare,  branch- 
less stems  like  monkeys,  making  skilful  use  of 
hands  and  toes  alike,  sometimes  to  the  height  of 
80  or  90  feet.  This  they  do  to  remove  the  sap  or 
juice,  which  has  been  drawn  off  in  a  little  earthen 
pot  at  the  top.  They  have  the  little  pot  hooked 
on  to  the  waistcloth  behind.;  they  ascend  with 
great  rapidity,  remove  the  full  pot,  make  a  fresh 
incision  in  the  bark,  fasten  on  the  empty  one,  and 
descend  as  rapidly  as  they  went  up.  There  are 
frequent  accidents,  however,  we  were  sorry  to 
hear,  and  our  medical  missionaries  have  often 
cases  in  their  wards  of  men  who  have  fallen  from 
their  lofty  perches  in  these  tree-tops,  who  are  often 
thus  led  to  the  Physician  of  souls.    The  juice  is 


CAPE  COMORIN. 


205 


excellent  when  fresh,  a  luscious  sort  of  drink. 
After  it  ferments  it  becomes  intoxicating,  and,  I 
am  afraid,  is  most  popular  in  this  condition,  and 
it  is  largely  consumed  by  the  Shanars,  especially 
in  their  orgies  at  festival  times.  But  its  chief  use 
is  for  the  manufacture  of  sugar — a  coarse,  dark 
sort  of  soft  stuff  called  jagry^  much  used  by  the 
people.  These  climbers  ascend  as  many  as  40  or 
50  trees  in  a  day,  often,  indeed,  twice  a  day. 
This  is  only  one  of  the  hundred  ways  in  which 
this  wonderful  tree  ministers  to  the  wants  of  the 
inhabitants,  who  but  for  it  would  be  badly  off  in- 
deed in  these  sandy  wastes.  We  saw  a  great 
many  specimens  of  the  umbrella-tree,  as  it  is 
called,  a  sort  of  acacia,  with  a  short,  bare  stem 
and  a  mass  of  thick,  thoruy  bush  spread  out  flat 
at  the  top  like  a  Japanese  umbrella.  It  is  very 
curious  and  gives  a  dense  and  perfect  shade. 

By-and-by  we  came  to  a  clearing,  where  we 
found  a  considerable  native  village.  Groups  of 
neat,  tidy  cottages,  with  deep,  overhanging  eaves, 
thatched  and  inclosed  with  branches  of  palm  leaf, 
stood  under  some  large  trees,  and  in  the  midst  of 
them  a  little  Christian  church.  This  was  a  na- 
tive Christian  village,  one  of  Mr.  Lee's  stations, 
and  here  we  were  to  spend  the  day.  It  may  be 
imagined  with  what  interest  we  entered  it,  once 
the  dwelling-place  of  demon- worshippers,  where 


2o6  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


the  horrible  rites  of  this  degrading  superstition 
were  practised,  and  now  filled  with  the  habita- 
tions of  those  who  had  been  rescued  from  the 
miry  clay  of  this  lowest  heathenism  and  taught  to 
worship  the  true  and  living  God.  The  kind  peo- 
ple gathered  out  of  their  homes  to  welcome  us, 
headed  by  their  pastor  and  the  dresser,  a  young 
medical  student  trained  by  Dr.  Thomson,  of  Ne- 
yoor;  for,  beside  the  church,  there  is  a  small  dis- 
pensary and  also  a  school.  They  took  us  at  once 
to  the  church,  and  we  found  in  a  little  room  be- 
hind— a  prophet's  chamber,  used  by  the  mission- 
ary on  his  visits — a  comfortable  breakfast  pre- 
pared for  us. 

The  village  is  called  Agusteespuram,  after  the 
Tamil  sage,  Agustees,  who  once  lived  here.  It  is 
one  of  the  oldest  stations  of  the  Nagercoil  Mis- 
sion and  has  a  congregation  of  six  hundred,  who 
support  their  own  pastor  and  pay  their  own  school- 
master. One  interesting  point  to  us  was  that  the 
church  was  built  by  Ringeltaube.  It  is  a  plain, 
substantial,  barn-like  structure,  with  whitewashed 
walls,  bare  floor,  and  a  simple  rail  across  the  upper 
end,  where  a  small  reading-desk  stands.  The  win- 
dows gave  the  place  a  quaint,  old-fashioned  look, 
there  being  no  blinds  or  glass,  but  the  frames  were 
filled  with  waved  bars  of  wood,  very  ingenious 
and  pretty,  and  the  work  of  Ringeltaube,  admit- 


CAPE  COMORIX.  207 

tiug  liglit  and  keeping  out  intruders,  while  the 
glare  is  completely  softened  by  the  shady  trees 
without. 

After  breakfast  the  church  bells  rang  out,  and 
presently  the  whole  place  was  filled  to  overflow- 
ing, while  groups  stood  at  every  window.  The 
people  sat  on  the  floor  closely  packed,  the  men  on 
one  side  and  the  women  on  the  other,  while  within 
the  rail  the  pastors,  catechists,  and  elders  of  the 
church  sat  on  chairs  on  each  side  of  the  pulpit. 
The  great  majority  of  all  present  were  converted 
Shanars.  There  were  six  pastors  who  had  come 
to  meet  us  from  distant  stations,  one  of  whom,  a 
venerable,  gentle-faced  man,  was  the  grandson  of 
the  first  convert  in  this  region,  the  one  who  was 
the  means  of  bringing  Ringeltaube  to  Travancore. 
It  was  most  interesting  to  meet  the  good  old  grand- 
son. 

After  the  men  had  been  introduced  to  us  and 
we  had  some  talk,  the  service  began,  and  a  de- 
lightful, impressive  time  followed;  the  vSpirit  was 
felt  to  be  in  the  midst  of  us.  The  patriarchal 
pastor  prayed  in  the  most  fervent  way.  Shutting 
my  eyes,  I  could  have  fancied  it  was  the  earnest, 
reverential  tones  of  one  of  our  own  men  of  the 
Highlands  pouring  out  his  soul  at  a  Gaelic  com- 
munion-time, a  feeling  which  only  strengthened 
when,  at  the  singing  which  followed,  the  precen- 


203  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 

tor  read  out  the  line  before  it  was  sung.  I  con- 
fess, however,  that  afterwards  the  spell  was  com- 
pletely broken  when  "instrumental  music"  was 
added.  And  the  instrument  was  a  fiddle,  a  "gen- 
uine fiddle,"  as  my  husband  said,  and  not  merely 
the  vina^  which  in  Western  India  the  people  love 
as  an  accompaniment  when  chanting  their  plaint- 
ive lyrics;  still,  it  was  not  quite  so  incongruous  as 
might  have  been  supposed.  My  husband  preached 
a  good  long  sermon  and  next  gave  an  address ; 
and,  again  like  the  Highlanders,  the  people  never 
stirred  or  seemed  to  tire.  Several  of  the  pastors 
knew  English  well  and  interpreted  for  him.  Mr. 
Lee  spoke  and  some  of  the  pastors  did  the  same; 
many  earnest  prayers  were  offered  and  there  was 
deep  impression.    So  it  went  on  all  day. 

I  had  a  most  interesting  hour  with  the  women, 
who  during  a  pause  in  the  services  gathered  round 
me,  bringing  their  lace  pillows  with  them  and 
working  neatly  and  deftly  while  we  talked.  I  also 
visited  some  of  the  homes,  which  were  clean  and 
neat,  and  afterwards  we  had  a  great  deal  of  talk 
with  the  men,  who  gave  us  many  interesting  facts 
regarding  the  condition  of  the  people  formerly, 
contrasting  it  with  the  improvement  of  the  pres- 
ent. They  spoke  especially  of  the  rise  there  is 
among  the  Christians  in  social  position  and  stand- 
ing, also  in  their  character  morally  and  spiritually; 


CAPE  COMORIN. 


and  we  were  glad  to  be  assured  that  caste  feeling 
is  decidedly  declining  among  them.  They  spoke 
also  hopefully  of  the  change  there  is  for  the  better 
in  the  heathen  community  generally,  and  gave 
many  striking  proofs  that  enlightenment  and 
progress  are  entering  even  dark  Brahmanical  Tra- 
vancore. 

In  former  times  the  oppression  and  cruelties 
practised  by  the  high  castes  towards  the  low  were 
fearful.  If  a  water-bund  broke,  or  any  other  ca- 
lamity happened,  a  pariah,  or  low-caste  man,  was 
at  once  sacrificed  to  appease  the  gods.  Slavery 
existed  until  quite  lately,  and  the  slaves  were 
often  most  cruelly  used.  One  of  the  pastors  told 
us  that  he  had  seen  with  his  own  eyes  a  woman 
and  a  buffalo  yoked  together  in  a  plough  !  He 
also  saw  two  women  tied  together  by  the  hair  of 
their  heads  and  then  thrashed  with  thorns.  It 
was  an  infinite  relief  to  find  that  such  things 
would  not  be  tolerated  now,  though  no  doubt 
there  is  oppression  enough  as  it  is. 

Altogether  this  was  one  of  the  most  interest- 
ing "mission-days"  we  have  ever  had;  but  too 
soon  it  came  to  a  close.  At  five  o'clock  Mr.  Lee 
announced  that  it  was  time  to  depart ;  so,  after 
many  leave-takings  and  kind  words  from  the  peo- 
ple, we  got  into  our  chairs  and  started.  The  even- 
ing was  so  lovely  that  all  the  fatigues  of  the  long, 

Sreni-i  In  Southom  Imlla.  J  A 


2IO  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


exciting  day  were  forgotten.  The  scenery  of  this 
garden  of  South  India,  so  famed  for  its  beauty,  is 
specially  lovely  in  the  softened  light  of  evening. 
After  the  blaze  of  the  glaring  day  has  gone,  the 
harmony,  the  serenity,  the  blended  colors,  the 
tender,  sweet  beauty  all  come  out  with  the  lights 
of  evening.  As  we  left  the  palm  forests  behind 
and  turned  our  faces  towards  the  mountain-ranges 
which  tower  over  Nagercoil,  the  views  became 
more  glorious  at  every  turn.  Some  of  these  sum- 
mits, five  or  six  thousand  feet  high,  are  superb  in 
their  rough  and  rugged  grandeur.  Some  have 
rounded  tops,  and  others  pointed,  fantastic  peaks, 
while  others  lie  in  long,  serrated  ridges  or  low, 
wavy,  rolling  undulations,  but  all  are  striking 
and  beautiful.  The  scene  grew  more  and  more 
peaceful  as  the  color  faded  and  darkness  closed 
in,  and  I  was  glad  when  the  bearers  hushed  their 
intoning  of  their  own  accord.  Altogether  the 
evening  was  a  fitting  close  to  the  memorable  day. 


NEYOOR.     TAREYCHALEY.  211 


CHAPTER  XV. 

NEYOOR.  PAREYCHALEY. 

We  are  busy  packing  up  for  a  fresh  start.  A 
machine  stands  out  there  beyond  the  veranda  in 
the  shade  all  ready  for  us.  It  is  an  odd  little 
green  box  of  a  bandy,  with  rather  a  dispropor- 
tionate pair  of  stately  white  bullocks  standing 
beside.  This  is  to  carry  us  to  our  next  halting- 
place,  Neyoor,  and  has  been  provided  for  our  use 
by  the  native  Christians,  who  hospitably  insist  on 
"speeding  the  parting  guest"  by  sending  us  on 
our  way  free  of  expense  to  ourselves. 

Here  we  are  at  this  important  station  of  the 
London  Missionary  Society,  which  is  also  the 
centre  of  the  medical  part  of  the  mission,  now 
imder  the  care  of  Dr.  Thomson.  When  we  started 
jesterday  Mr.  Duthie  drove  me  out  a  little  way, 
while  Mr.  Crosbie,  the  judge,  took  my  husband 
in  his  "  trap,"  to  a  point  whence  we  had  a  glori- 
ous view  of  the  mountains  which  lie  about  thig 
lovely  sequestered  spot  of  earth.  The  scene  might 
have  been  that  round  our  own  Loch  Lomond  oi 
Loch  Maree  if,  instead  of  the  wide,  smiling  val- 
ley, waving  with  green  rice  crops  and  intersected 


212  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 

with  magnificent  trees,  there  had  slept  a  stately 
loch.  A  tiny  lake  did  sparkle  at  our  feet,  but 
the  beauty  lay  in  the  superb  mountain  ranges, 
with  their  jagged  ridges  and  purple,  serrated 
sides,  now  veiled  in  a  dreamy  blue  mist.  A 
happy  valley  this  expanse  of  green  loveliness 
looks,  and  well  might  be  in  reality  but  for  the  old 
story  that  "only  man  is  vile."  Another  of  the 
pastors  with  whom  we  had  much  talk  told  us  of 
some  dreadful  iniquities  he  saw  practised  in  this 
very  valley  on  the  poor  low-caste  slaves,  which  I 
cannot  bring  myself  to  write.  Oh,  what  a  relief 
to  think  that  now  more  humane  counsels  prevail 
under  the  influence  of  our  own  beneficent  Gov- 
ernment; also  that  missionaries  are  at  work  and 
that  the  Spirit  of  truth  and  love  and  light  is  now 
moving  over  the  great  darkness  ! 

About  five  o'clock  we  got  into  our  bandy  and 
set  off  by  the  Trevandrura  road  straight  for  Ne- 
yoor,  only  some  twelve  miles  off.  It  was  rather 
rough  and  rutty,  bumping  us  up  and  down  in 
our  primitive  little  machine,  but  wc  enjoyed  our 
drive  in  the  evening  loveliness  through  the  pic- 
turesque scenery  of  this  fairy-like  land.  A  great 
deal  of  water  is  stored  in  tanks  and  little  canals 
in  order  to  irrigate  the  rice-fields,  so  that  all 
along  the  road  you  come  on  what  look  like  lakes 
and  serpentines  and  pretty  rivulets,  which  give  a 


NEYOOR.  PAREYCHALEY. 


213 


charming  variety  to  the  scener}',  fringed  as  the 
banks  often  are  with  a  wealth  of  beautiful  wood. 
We  passed  a  great  many  demon-temples,  generally 
well  smeared  with  whitewash,  though  not  with 
the  red  paint  you  see  on  idol-shrines  in  the  Ma- 
ratha  country.  At  a  little  village  half  way  a 
catechist  and  two  or  three  deacons  were  waiting 
for  us,  sitting  by  their  little  roadside  church. 
They  escorted  us  the  rest  of  the  way,  talking  all 
the  time  and  giving  much  information,  keeping 
pace  with  the  bullocks,  who  thought  it  quite  be- 
neath their  dignity  to  go  out  of  a  stately  walk. 
Some  of  these  Christians  arc  pleasant,  superior, 
thinking  men. 

We  are  the  guests  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hacker, 
whose  acquaintance  we  made  in  Nagercoil.  They 
received  us  most  warmly,  had  tea  ready,  and  then 
we  all  went  into  the  large  church,  which  stands 
in  the  compound,  where  we  found  an  immense 
assemblage  of  people  gathered  to  hear  the  stran- 
ger-missionary gentleman. 

The  next  morning  we  were  out  almost  before 
the  sun  to  explore,  and  found  a  fine  large  com- 
pound in  which  stood  two  good  mission -houses, 
the  church,  hospital,  dispensary,  and  other  build- 
ings for  schools,  with  some  very  beautiful  trees 
intermingling  and  giving  beauty  to  the  whole. 
There  are  one  or  two  tombstones  also  in  one 


214  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


place  which  commemorate  some  of  the  mission- 
aries who  have  died  there.  We  breakfasted  with 
Dr.  and  Mrs.  Thomson,  who  live  in  one  of  the 
bungalows,  but  before  then  Dr.  Thomson  had 
shown  us  all  his  work.  We  first  went  to  the  dis- 
pensary-, where  about  thirty  of  the  patients  were 
assembled  and  all  the  students,  and  there  was  a 
short  service.  Dr.  Mitchell  gave  a  brief  address, 
which  was  translated  by  one  of  the  dressers,  after 
which  a  pastor  prayed,  when  all  the  patients 
knelt  and  repeated  the  simple  words  clause  by 
clause  after  him.  This  over  we  saw  the  prem- 
ises, including  the  class-rooms,  where  we  made 
friends  with  the  students  and  dressers.  The  lat- 
ter are  those  whose  studies  are  completed  and 
who  will  be  sent  forth  to  work  at  branch  stations. 
Of  these  there  are  only  six  at  present,  and  there  is 
a  great  demand  for  dressers;  but  several  of  the 
students  we  saw  will  soon  be  ready  to  undertake 
the  charge  of  a  dispensary  as  full-fledged  doctors. 
I  was  particularly  pleased  with  the  appearance  of 
these  young  fellows  ;  they  have  bright,  frank, 
good  faces  and  honest  expressions.  IVIost  of  thera 
support  themselves,  with  no  help  from  the  mis- 
sion. 

The  enormous  amount  of  work  which  is  ac- 
complished by  this  medical  mission  and  the  ben- 
efit it  is  to  the  people  are  shown  by  the  fact  that 


NEYOOR.  PAREYCHALEY. 


215 


during  the  past  year  the  number  of  patients  who 
have  been  treated  in  the  Neyoor  Mission  and  its 
six  branches — including  those  attended  in  their 
own  homes  —  amounted  to  upwards  of  24,600. 
These  include  Christians,  heathen,  and  Moham- 
medans, and  the  diseases  of  course  are  of  all 
kinds. 

It  is  very  pleasing  to  hear  that  the  Govern- 
ment helps  the  mission  considerably;  a  wonder- 
fully enlightened  Government  it  seems  to  be, 
though  a  heathen  one.  The  maharajah  gave  the 
money,  I  believe,  which  built  some  of  the  best 
wards  in  the  hospital.  After  breakfast  we  saw 
some  of  Mrs.  Thomson's  admirable  day-schools, 
of  which  there  are  four.  The  pupils  are  mostly 
drawn  from  the  better  castes  and  there  are  a  good 
many  Brahman  girls  among  them.  These  chil- 
dren attend  the  Sunday-school  and  make  no  ob- 
jection to  the  Bible  as  a  class-book;  they  also  sing 
Christian  hymns  and  lyrics  delightfully.  One  of 
the  latter  we  heard  begins  with  words  like  these: 
"Sweeter  than  honey  the  name  of  Jesus  sounds;" 
and  such  hymns  they  sing  in  their  homes  and 
even  in  the  streets.  Thus  the  truth  must  spread, 
the  good  seed  being  sown  here,  as  happily  else- 
where over  the  land.  But,  unfortunately,  as  in 
other  parts,  these  girls  leave  school  at  the  age  of 
ten  or  twelve  to  be  married,  and  they  never  re- 


2l6 


SCENES  IX  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


turn  after  the  marriajre  or  betrothal  has  taken 
place.  Several  Bible-women,  however,  are  em- 
ployed in  house-to-house  visitation  and  follow  the 
gdrls  to  their  new  homes,  so  keeping  up  the  in- 
fluence and  often  carry  ing  on  a  simple  education 
for  years  after  they  have  left  school. 

One  of  the  Bible- women  I  saw  had  gone  about 
the  country  teaching  and  preaching  and  speaking 
to  the  women  in  the  villages  long  before  Bible- 
women  were  appointed  by  the  mission.  She  had 
had  her  bodily  ailments  cured,  she  said,  but  more, 
"she  had  been  cured  of  her  sins,"  and  "the 
blessed  medicine"  which  had  effected  this  she 
had  gone  to  make  known  to  her  poor  sisters,  who 
needed  it  as  much  as  she  did.  How  intensely  in- 
teresting it  is  to  sit  down  with  a  group  of  these 
humble  women  gathered  round  you,  their  soft- 
ened, speaking  countenances  turned  up  to  yours, 
all  aglow  as  they  hear  and  speak  of  the  love  of 
Christ  which  has  done  so  much  for  them  !  A 
light  sometimes  shines  on  these  faces,  rugged  and 
illiterate  as  they  often  are,  which  only  the  en- 
trance of  God's  Spirit  into  the  human  soul  could 
produce. 

One  thing  I  notice  is  that  ever\-where  among 
the  women,  high  and  low,  there  is  a  dawning 
knowledge  of  a  higher  sphere  which  has  been 
opened  for  them — a  something  better  which  they 


XEYOOR.  PAREYCHALEY. 


217 


might  possess  and  which  they  long  for,  which 
has  been  "brought  to  light"  by  the  Christians' 
God.  And  I  think  this  wins  many — along  with 
their  loYe  for  the  Bible;  the  latter  has  a  special 
attraction  for  them,  because,  as  they  express  it, 
"It  says  kind  things  about  us  women."  Their 
own  books  "say  cruel  things,"  but  our  Book  "is 
kind,"  and  He  who  fed  the  Ayc  thousand  "is 
kind;"  and  "did  He  not  suffer  and  die  for  us?" 
So  they  talk,  poor  things  !  I  haYC  been  much 
interested  in  the  women  both  in  Xagercoil  and 
here,  though  perhaps  they  correspond  more  to  the 
humbler  orders  of  those  I  have  come  in  contact 
with  in  Bengal  and  Bombav. 

In  the  middle  of  the  day  we  had  another  won- 
derfully interesting  service  in  the  church,  when 
all  the  male  agents  and  workers  of  the  mission 
assembled  to  hear  an  address  from  my  husband. 
On  one  side  sat  the  teachers  and  schoolmasters  in 
compact  lines,  of  whom  there  were  seventy-two; 
on  the  other  side  were  fifty-three  catechists  and 
forty  pastors  —  intelligent,  well-dressed,  respect- 
able men,  grave  and  thoughtful,  truly  a  most 
striking  sight !  How  I  wished  all  the  skeptics 
about  missions  and  their  fruits  could  have  seen 
it.  Then  there  were  the  dressers  and  medical 
students  and  students  preparing  for  the  ministry 
and  other  work  (some  of  tliese  were  from  Mr. 


2l8  SCENES  IX  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


Duthie's  seminary),  also  a  few  colporters,  and, 
beyond,  a  goodly  fringe  of  listeners  and  on-look- 
ers  and  the  general  public  about  the  doors. 

Dr.  ^Mitchell  spoke  to  them  for  upwards  of  an 
hour  with  intense  earnestness.  The  impression 
was  very  deep  ;  some  were  weeping,  and  every 
one  felt  that  the  Spirit  of  the  living  God  was  in 
the  midst  of  us.  I  never  saw  more  intent  listen- 
ers and  never  felt  my  own  heart  more  touched. 
Many  of  these  had  been  devil-worshippers,  and 
now  how  amazing  the  contrast,  showing  how  the 
gospel  is  taking,  or  I  might  say  lias  taken,  hold 
in  this  dark  land  I 

After  the  service  I  left  my  husband  in  earnest 
talk  with  the  men  and  went  to  meet  the  women 
in  Mr.  Hacker's  veranda.  Crowds  of  nice-looking 
women  came,  dressed  generally  in  red  cloths,  and 
all,  I  noticed,  wore  the  upper  jackets.  The  three 
Bible- women  are  particularly  intelligent ;  they 
work  under  Mrs.  Thomson,  who  meets  with  them 
often  for  consultation  and  prayer.  Among  the 
rest  were  Mrs.  Hacker's  embroider}'  workers.  In- 
stead of  the  lace  which  thev  make  at  Nagercoil 
the  women  here  are  employed  in  making  em- 
broider)' and  trimmings  similar  to  the  Irish  and 
Swiss  work;  and  they  do  it  beautifully  and  on 
good,  fine  calico.  This  industry  is  most  helpful 
to  the  mission  and  Mrs.  Hacker  is  very  glad  to 


XEYOOR.  PAREYCHALEY. 


219 


receive  orders.  Many  ladies  help  much  in  taking 
qtiantities  of  the  embroidery  for  sale  at  other  sta- 
tions and  on  the  hills,  and  it  is  of  so  good  a  qual- 
ity that,  like  the  lace,  it  finds  ready  purchasers. 

IMeetings  with  the  boys  and  girls  of  the  board- 
ing-schools followed  and  filled  up  the  afternoon  ; 
troops  of  them  came  filing  into  the  veranda,  all 
from  the  Christian  schools,  and  we  had  a  busy 
and  interesting  time.  The  boys  brought  us  some 
texts,  written  beautifully  in  Tamil  on  slips  of  the 
palmyra  leaf.  Brighter  and  nicer  children  I  never 
saw,  and  they  were  not  too  shy  to  give  out  their 
answers  distinctly  and  fearlessly.  Many  were  the 
inquiries  which  were  made  that  day  about  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Lowe,  and  many  the  loving  messages 
sent  to  them.  They  are  anything  but  forgotten 
in  their  old  sphere  of  labor. 

The  heat  was  intense  all  day,  but  we  managed 
to  forget  it  and  our  fatigue  also  in  the  absorbing 
interest  of  this  tnie  mission-day.  When  it  grew 
cooler  we  had  a  visit  from  a  pleasing,  intelligent 
native  gentleman,  the  retired  dewan,  or  prime 
minister,  of  His  Highness  the  Maharajah,  who 
lives  in  Neyoor.  After  some  talk  he  courteously 
ofTered  us  a  drive,  and  took  us  out  in  his  open 
carriage  to  see  something  of  the  place.  The 
fresher  air  of  the  evening  was  most  reviving  and 
restful  after  the  stifling  day  as  we  sped  along 


220  SCENES  IX  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


beneath  the  arching  trees  by  the  cool  little  ser- 
pentines and  rice-fields.  We  passed  the  dewan's 
handsome  English-looking  house  standing  in  a 
garden  beautifully  kept,  and  then  we  came  on  an 
idol  or  demon  temple,  which  we  stopped  to  ex- 
amine. 

It  was  a  most  rough  and  rude  erection,  a  kind 
of  shed  more  than  a  building,  about  six  feet 
square,  covered  over  for  a  roof  with  dried  branch- 
es of  the  palmyra-tree.  Inside  there  was  the  most 
grotesque  and  hideous  image  it  is  possible  to  con- 
ceive, a  female,  with  glaring,  staring  eyes,  a  dag- 
ger uplifted  in  her  hand,  two  tusks  for  teeth,  be- 
tween which  an  infant  was  represented  as  being 
crushed  to  death,  and  a  bigger  child  on  her  arm 
ready  to  be  devoured  next — truly  a  most  fiendish 
deity.  And  the  poor  deluded  people  propitiate 
her  !  There  were  some  now  making  offerings  of 
chickens  and  bowing  in  obeisance  to  this  hideous 
object,  who  is  called  Isaki. 

The  legend  is  that  this  is  the  evil  spirit  of  a 
woman  who  died  unmarried,  and  therefore,  hating 
and  spiteful  and  revengeful,  she  returned  to  trou- 
ble the  people  evermore.  Small-pox  is  also  be- 
lieved to  be  a  demoness,  and  now  that  this  terrible 
disease  is  scourging  the  country,  the  price  of  chick- 
ens has  risen  alarmingly,  so  many  are  offered  to 
appease  the  infuriated  demoness ! 


NKYOOR. 


PAREYCHALEY. 


221 


PAREYCHALEY. 

When  the  kind  family  at  Neyoor  retired  to  rest 
last  night  we  meant  to  start  for  Pareychaley  in  a 
country  cart  which  my  husband  had  engaged  for 
the  trip.    Unluckily  the  driver  had  insisted  on 
* '  an  advance, ' '  and  as  soon  as  he  got  the  rupees 
he  disappeared  into  the  bazar  to  enjoy  himself 
and  was  no  more  seen.    Of  course  the  gentlemen 
had  taken  the  precaution  to  secure  the  cart  and 
bullocks  in  the  compound,  but  when  the  time 
came  to  start  no  driver  could  be  found.  Messen- 
gers were  despatched  in  all  directions  and  grave 
consultations  followed.    I  blush  to  think  of  the 
commotion  and  disturbance  we  created  and  the 
lively  night  it  was  for  our  friends  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Hacker.    Presently,  by  one  of  those  little  provi- 
dences we  love  to  recall  and  mark,  wc  were  res- 
cued from  all  our  difficulties.    The  kind  dewan, 
Mr.  Nana  Pillay,  sent  to  offer  his  carriage  to  take 
us  part  of  the  way,  so  as  to  save  us  fatigue ;  and 
hearing  of  the  deadlock  our  plans  had  got  into, 
he  also  arranged  most  kindly  to  send  on  his  bul- 
lock-bandy  ahead,  to  wait  until  we  should  come 
up,  and  carry  us  to  the  end  of  the  night  journey; 
so  our  perplexities  were  delightfully  solved.  By 
four  o'clock  we  had  left  the  disturbed  dwelling 
once  more  to  peace  and  were  bowling  along  in 
comfort,  enjoying  greatly  the  fine  daybreak. 


222  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


The  young  moon  had  retired  to  rest,  the  fire- 
flies had  extinguished  their  bright  little  lamps, 
the  shrill  chorus  of  the  grasshoppers  and  crickets 
from  the  sJiola  had  ceased,  and  the  many-toned 
voices  of  night  were  hushed.  But  the  cool  wind 
sang  a  glad  morning  hymn  in  the  palmyra  plumes, 
the  birds  were  beginning  to  shake  out  their  feath- 
ers in  the  branches  and  twitter  to  arouse  their 
mates,  the  *'  fell  chanticleer"  was  doing  the  same 
thing  noisily  for  the  villages,  and  the  tender  twin- 
kling stars  were  rapidly  growing  pale  and  retiring 
before  the  pink  flush  from  the  advancing  dawn. 
It  was  a  lovely,  dewy  morning,  and  the  sun  had 
risen  by  the  time  we  came  up  to  the  bandy  with 
a  pair  of  splendid  bullocks,  which  took  us  quickly 
to  the  end. 

As  we  turned  into  the  road  which  leads  up  to 
this  mission-house  we  were  met  by  a  tall,  fine- 
looking  man,  who  accosted  us  so  heartily  and 
shook  hands  with  us  so  warmly  that  we  felt  our 
welcome  was  more  than  sure.  This  was  Mr.  Eni- 
lyn,  the  only  European  missionary  at  Pareychaley. 
He  soon  conducted  us  up  the  slope  ;  we  turned  in 
to  the  front  of  a  large  bungalow  and  stood  before 
a  wide,  handsome  veranda  commanding  magnifi- 
cent views  of  the  country  below.  Now  we  were 
met  by  Mrs.  Emlyn  and  her  little  girl.  There  is 
no  village  to  be  seen  and  only  the  houses  and 


NEYOOR. 


PALEVCIIALEY. 


223 


buildings  belonging  to  the  mission.  Here  this 
couple  live,  charming  people,  who  would  enjoy 
and  adorn  any  society;  and  Mrs.  Emlyn  tells  me 
she  has  been  sometimes  two  years  without  seeing 
the  face  of  an  English  lady,  there  being  no  other 
European  family  nearer  than  Neyoor.  But  they 
are  as  happy  as  they  can  be,  thoroughly  occupied 
and  busy  with  their  schools  and  Christians  and 
embroidery-workers  and  all  their  manifold  work. 
They  have  their  dear  little  girl,  "enough  society 
in  herself,"  her  mother  says,  though  she  sorely 
misses  her  three  bright  boys  who  are  in  England 
at  school. 

The  bungalow  is  large  and  handsome  and  the 
situation  exceedingly  beautiful.  It  stands  high, 
and  at  our  feet  lies  a  garden  full  of  loveliness ; 
beyond  there  are  extensive  wavy  undulations, 
wonderfully  green,  beautifully  wooded  with  sJiola^ 
or  jungle,  and  fine  trees,  and  the  whole  bounded 
by  grand  ranges  of  dark  purple  mountains  in  the 
dim,  dreamy  distance.  This  place  was  chosen  for 
a  station  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Abbs,  a  late  missionary, 
Mr.  Emlyn  thinks  partly  for  the  beauty  of  the 
situation,  but  also  because  the  site  was  easily  and 
cheaply  secured.  This  was  because  it  had  so  evil 
a  reputation,  as  the  abode  of  a  demon  who  haunt- 
ed the  woods,  that  no  one  would  live  here.  At 
first  the  people  thought  as  the  white  men  cut  down 


224  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


the  jungle  the  demon  would  destroy  them  ;  but 
no,  they  went  on  unmolested.  So  now  they  have 
changed  their  opinion,  and  think  the  missionaries 
have  conquered  the  demon  and  he  has  beaten  a 
retreat  to  the  hills. 

We  sat  a  long  time  over  breakfast,  when  Mr. 
Emlyn  gave  us  many  interesting  and  amusing, 
though  deplorable,  details  of  what  existed  among 
this  rude,  almost  savage,  people  when  missiona- 
ries first  settled  among  them.  The  place  was  both 
a  natural  and  a  moral  wilderness.  Demons  ruled 
supreme.  Devil-dances  and  horrible  orgies  were 
of  constant  occurrence,  accompanied  by  all  the 
wild  absurdities  of  this  degrading  worship,  while 
ignorance  and  superstition  and  utter  lawlessness 
ruled  among  the  people.  But  education  and  the 
gospel  have  wrought  great  changes.  The  people 
now  admit  that  "the  man  with  the  Book"  is 
stronger  than  the  devils.  Still  devil-dances  fre- 
quently take  place,  and  there  are  a  great  many 
demon  shrines  about  all  this  neighborhood.  Mr. 
Emlyn  told  us  an  amusing  story  of  the  first  ap- 
pearance of  a  bicycle  here.  When  the  owner  was 
seen  riding  on  the  novel  conveyance,  which  ran 
along  without  a  horse,  the  people  set  up  a  hue 
and  cry,  declaring  that  this  was  a  new  kind  of 
demon,  who  had  at  length  conquered  the  English- 
man and  had  run  off  with  him! 


NEYOOR. 


PAREYCHALEY. 


225 


They  believe  also  that  the  demoness  of  small- 
pox goes  about,  especially  frequenting  the  mar- 
kets, because  the  people  congregate  there.  With 
her  usual  vindictiveness  she  smites  every  one  she 
comes  near,  scattering  the  seeds  of  the  disease 
from  her  finger-points,  and  thus  infection  spreads 
and  the  people  die. 

After  hearing  all  these  stories  of  the  ignorant 
people,  it  was  most  cheering  to  go  to  the  church 
which  stands  near  and  find  it  crammed,  as  at 
Neyoor  and  Nagercoil,  with  people  rescued  from 
this  dreadful  superstition.  Now,  like  him  who 
was  possessed,  they  sat  at  the  feet  of  Jesus,  clothed 
and  in  their  right  mind,  ready  to  go  and  "tell 
how  great  things  the  Lord  had  done  for  them" 
and  to  seek  to  deliver  others  from  this  tyranny. 
A  great  proportion  of  those  present  were  Mr.  Em- 
lyn's  workers  and  assistants,  such  as  pastors,  evan- 
gelists, teachers,  and  catechists.  There  were  a 
good  many  women  present,  who  sat  on  one  side 
by  themselves.  The  whole  congregation  looked 
most  respectable  and  intelligent,  and  one  could 
hardly  believe  they  had  ever  been  so  sunken  and 
degraded  as  the  common  heathen  are  now.  The 
transformative  power  of  the  gospel  is  indeed  mar- 
vellous, and  education  and  training  have  done 
wonders. 

I  ought  to  .say  that  all  the  converts  arc  not 

ttccDM  lu  Huulhvrn  luau.  ] 


226 


SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


drawn  from  the  Shanars.  There  were  ten  castes 
represented  in  the  congregation,  but  few  are  from 
the  higher  castes,  and  only  two  Brahmans  have 
as  yet  joined  the  mission.  The  bulk  of  the  Chris- 
tians belong  originally  to  the  three  divisions 
among  the  Shanars ;  next,  to  the  Pariahs,  who 
are  lower;  and  next,  to  the  Pulayas,  who,  I  think, 
are  the  lowest  of  all. 

One  division  of  the  Pariahs  had  come  over  to 
Christianity  in  a  body ;  not  a  man  is  left  in  Hin- 
dooism.  One-fifth  of  the  whole  population  of  this 
district  is  now  Christian.  My  husband,  as  usual, 
gave  them  a  long,  earnest  address,  which  was  lis- 
tened to  with  profound  attention. 

After  lunch  the  girls  from  the  boarding-school 
and  some  pleasing,  nice-looking  women  gathered 
in  the  veranda,  with  a  few  also  from  the  day- 
schools,  and  we  had,  as  usual,  a  most  interesting 
time.  Two  or  three  of  the  pastors  and  catechists 
also  came  and  sat  and  talked  with  us.  The  chil- 
dren look  picturesque  in  their  bright  garments,  the 
prevailing  hue  of.  which  is  red— all  but  the  torn 
ear,  which  is  a  terrible  deformity.  It  is  wonder- 
ful to  see  the  weights  they  carry  in  the  poor,  ill- 
used  member.  But  the  missionaries  are  success- 
fully battling  with  it  among  the  converts. 

Mr.  Enilyn  has  thirty-nine  schools  in  his  dis- 
trict, boys'  and  girls',  in  which,  he  rightly  says, 


NEYOOR.  PAREYCHALEY. 


227 


"  there  lies  the  hope  for  the  future."  In  the  even- 
ing he  and  Dr.  Mitchell  walked  down  to  the  vil- 
lage, which  is  nearly  a  mile  off.  But  the  people 
did  not  receive  them  gladly.  In  the  Brahman 
quarter  they  were  treated  with  much  rudeness, 
pelted  with  mud,  and  some  stones  were  thrown. 
One  hit  my  husband  on  the  back.  They  returned 
through  a  heavy  thunder- shower,  which  came 
down  with  tropical  vigor.  But  it  had  quite  cleared 
up  again,  with  the  air  cooled  and  refreshed,  when 
at  ten  o'clock  we  had  once  more  to  set  out  on  our 
way. 


228  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

TREVANDRUM. 

It  was  a  pitch-dark  night,  with  heavy  masses 
of  thunder-cloud  blackening  the  sky,  when  Mr. 
Emlyn,  lantern  in  hand,  lighted  us  off  the  mis- 
sion premises  and  launched  us  on  the  public  road. 
It  felt  a  little  eerie  coming  out  of  the  brightness 
of  the  pleasant  house  into  the  murk,  escorted  only 
by  the  strange,  unkempt  charioteer,  his  long 
naked  legs  dangling  from  his  perch,  and  a  lanky 
lad  who  sat  on  the  step  behind  as  a  sort  of  guide 
and  defence.  But  they  knew  the  road,  and  it  is 
wonderful  how  safe  night  travelling  is.  And 
now  here  is  Trevandrum,  another  goal ;  and  here 
is  rest,  at  least  for  some  days.  We  are  now  the 
guests  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ross.  He  is  principal  of 
the  Maharajah's  College  here.  When  we  came 
in  early  this  morning,  travel-soiled  and  very 
weary,  Mr.  Ross  himself  fished  us  out  of  our 
dusty  little  den  and  gave  us  the  welcome  of  an 
old  friend,  though  we  had  never  actually  met  be- 
fore. 

Our  excellent  Joseph  was  here  before  us.  He 
had  somehow  caught  the  recalcitrant  driver,  took 


TREVANDRUM. 


229 


possession  of  the  cart  and  bullocks  for  himself 
and  the  "kit;"  and  here  he  was,  in  crisp,  clean, 
starched  coat  and  newly-folded  turban,  ready  to 
unpack  and  do  everything  for  us. 

As  soon  as  it  was  cool  in  the  afternoon  IMrs. 
Ross  drove  us  out.  Trevandrum  is  a  most  beau- 
tiful place,  full  of  picturesqueness  and  all  the 
loveliness  which  knolls  and  hills  and  verdant 
undulations,  with  some  good  buildings  and  the 
richest  tropical  foliage,  can  give. 

It  is  the  capital  of  Travancore  and  the  resi- 
dence of  His  Highness  the  INIaharajah  and  his 
court.  The  prince  had  succeeded  to  the  sove- 
reignty not  long  before  our  visit,  and  was,  unfor- 
tunately for  us,  absent,  making  his  grand  tour 
through  the  great  cities  of  India.  The  mahara- 
jah  seemed  to  be  liked,  had  travelled  a  good  deal, 
knew  English  well,  and  was  considered  an  en- 
lightened man.  But  I  am  told  that  his  first  act 
after  his  accession  was  to  make  additional  grants 
for  the  repair  of  all  the  heathen  temples  in  the 
State.  He  rejoiced  in  the  grand-sounding  title, 
His  Highness,  Sri,  Patmanabhi,  Dasa,  Vanji  Ba- 
larama  Varmah  Kulasahara  Kridapadi  Mannay 
Sultan  Maharajah  Rama  Rajah,  Bahadur  Sham- 
shir  Jang,  Fellow  of  the  Madras  University,  the 
Maharajah  of  Travancore! 

This  city  lies  only  two  miles  from  the  sea.  It 


230  SCENES  IX  SOUTHERX  INDIA. 

is  rather  scattered,  occupying  a  wide  area,  and  is 
intersected  with  broad,  clean,  well-kept  roads 
richly  fringed  with  remarkably  fine  trees.  There 
is  an  observatory,  a  handsome  building,  which 
stands  in  a  commanding  position ;  a  museum, 
called  the  Xapier  ^luseum,  in  the  pretty  park  or 
public  gardens ;  the  college,  and  several  other 
good  buildings.  There  is  also  the  fort,  which  is 
surrounded  by  lofty  walls  and  guarded  by  senti- 
nels, in  which  stand  the  palaces  where  all  the 
royal  family  reside,  the  Government  offices  also, 
and  a  temple,  which  is  peculiarly  sacred  and  of 
great  antiquity. 

The  whole  of  this  little  strip  of  a  kingdom, 
fifty  miles  wide  and  only  one  hundred  and  seventy 
miles  long  from  the  north  point  to  the  south,  is 
full  of  varied  interest.  It  is  also  full  of  natural 
loveliness.  Every  new  bit  we  see  seems  more 
beautiful  than  the  last.  It  may  well  be  called 
the  garden  of  India.  But,  oh,  what  a  moral  wil- 
derness it  seems  to  be!  Nowhere  else  in  India  is 
caste  so  strong  or  the  lofty  and  tyrannical  preten- 
sions of  the  higher  castes  so  insisted  on  and  en- 
forced as  here. 

Then  to  me,  I  confess,  it  is  quite  as  despicable 
and  nearly  as  painful  to  contemplate  the  abject 
servility,  the  slavishness  of  the  lower  castes  to 
the  higher.    One  would  not  wonder  so  much  at 


HINDOO  BRAHMAN. 


TREVANDRUM. 


231 


the  calm  assumption  of  superiority  by  the  Brah- 
man ;  but  that  the  lower  castes  should  have  so 
long  submitted  to  the  oppression  and  all  the  gall- 
ing indignities  so  unsparingly  heaped  upon  them 
is  certainly  a  perplexity.  The  "once  born,"  the 
"low  born,"  the  "polluted;"  by  these  distin- 
guishing epithets  are  the  low  castes  designated. 
And  the  curious  thing  is  that  in  this  caste  system 
there  is  "even  in  the  lower  depth  a  lower  still." 
Every  low  man  has  some  one  yet  lower  whom  he 
in  turn  can  look  down  on  and  tyrannize  over. 
And  apathy  is  not  the  word  to  describe  the  utter 
carelessness  and  indifference  there  is  among  low 
'and  high  alike  as  to  the  condition  of  others  who 
may  not  be  "of  their  caste."  This  accursed  caste 
seems  to  convert  the  mild  Hindoo  into  a  very  de- 
mon of  cruelty,  if  all  the  tales  one  hears  be  true, 
especially  of  the  times  when  slavery  was  allowed 
by  law.  The  ignorance,  the  superstition,  the  suf- 
fering, the  misery,  the  utter  degradation,  are  in- 
deed pitiable  to  behold. 

I  hear  so  much  about  it  all  and  the  marvellous 
complexities  of  the  laws  and  customs,  especially 
in  connection  with  the  law  of  inheritance,  in  this 
strangest  of  communities,  that  my  brain  will 
hardly  take  it  all  in.  A  Pulaya  may  not  come 
within  ninety  feet  of  the  sacred  person  of  a  Brah- 
man.   From  a  Nair  or  Sudra,  also,  he  must  keep 


232  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA, 

at  a  respectful  distance.  He  must  cover  his 
mouth,  lest  his  breath  shoiild  taint  the  air ;  he 
must  speak  of  himself  as  "your  slave,"  never 
daring  to  use  the  personal  pronoun.  He  is  not 
allowed  to  clothe  himself  above  the  waist. 

It  is  pleasant  to  turn  one's  gaze  on  the  Chris- 
tianized part  of  the  population.  The  truth  of  the 
gospel  must  come  on  these  poor  low-caste  men 
with  a  joyful  surprise.  That  any  of  the  rights  of 
men  should  ever  by  possibility  belong  to  them 
must  seem  too  wonderful  to  be  true.  That  God 
should  be  "no  respecter  of  persons,"  that  he 
should  think  of  them  as  his  children  ;  or  that 
Christ,  having  died  for  "all,"  should  therefore 
have  died  for  them! — this  wondrous  story  of  re- 
demption may  well  be  "glad  tidings  of  great 
joy"  to  the  down-trodden  and  despised  of  this 
once  so  dark  little  kingdom. 

Christianity  always  raises  the  low  castes  in 
civilization,  in  character,  in  intelligence,  in  social 
standing  and  position,  and  in  every  way.  Of 
course  people  cannot  be  freed  all  at  once  from  the 
consequences  of  long  oppression,  and  the  chains 
and  bonds  of  superstition  cannot  be  knocked  off 
very  easily.  Apostasies  have  occurred ;  sometimes, 
when  trouble  has  overtaken  him,  the  poor  igno- 
rant convert  has  sought  to  propitiate  the  demon 
once  more.    The  Pulaya,  and  even  the  Pariah 


TREV'ANDRUM. 


and  the  Shanar,  have  sometimes  made  unsatisfac- 
tory Christians,  no  doubt ;  and  who  would  won- 
der, after  the  ages  of  oppression  they  have  under- 
gone ?  It  may  take  a  generation  or  two  to  make 
strong,  reliable  men  of  these  poor  Pulayas,  who 
were  formerly  slaves  and  treated  with  incredible 
cruelty  and  indignity;  but  when  one  looks  at  the 
large,  noble  congregations  of  men  and  women,  of 
whom  you  "can  take  knowledge  that  they  have 
been  with  Jesus,"  one's  heart  is  filled  with  thanks- 
giving and  joy ;  and  who  can  doubt  but  that  the 
gospel  will  everywhere  triumph  ?  Well  may  the 
missionaries  take  courage  and  feel  that  the  hand 
of  God  has  been  with  them  in  their  work  and  will 
be  so  increasingly,  according  to  his  precious 
promise. 

The  Nairs  whom  I  have  mentioned,  though 
not  Brahmans,  are  a  good  caste.  They  form  the 
military  class  and  are  the  aristocracy  of  the  coun- 
try. The  reigning  family  are  Nairs,  although  it 
seeks  often  to  raise  itself  by  matrimonial  alliances 
with  the  Brahmans.  This  is  still  more  systemat- 
ically sought  by  the  royal  family  at  Cochin.  Suc- 
cession among  the  Nairs  goes  in  the  female  line, 
the  nephew  of  the  maharajah  being  the  heir-ap- 
parent; that  is,  the  son  of  his  sister,  not  his  own 
or  his  brother's.  I  believe  this  arises  out  of  the 
dreadful  system  of  polyandry  which  was  once 


234  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 

largely  practised  here,  tliough  happily  this  is  now 
no  longer  the  case. 

It  was  a  special  pleasure  to  me  to  renew  here 
an  acquaintance  with  Miss  Blandford,  of  the  Ze- 
nana IMission,  begun  years  ago  in  the  house  of  our 
dear  friends  the  Robertsons  in  Bombay.  ]\Iiss 
Blandford  is  one  of  the  ablest  and  most  successful 
of  the  zenana  missionaries.  She  has  labored  for 
many  years  with  patience  and  faith  and  has  done 
a  great  and  noble  work  in  Trevandrum.  She  has 
been  especially  associated  with  the  ladies  of  the 
court,  and  speaks  of  some  of  the  princesses  with 
the  greatest  affection  and  respect.  She  herself 
occupies  a  position  of  much  and  deserved  influ- 
ence among  them,  and  indeed  in  the  whole  place, 
both  among  the  natives  and  Europeans.  It  is 
wonderful  what  the  influence  of  this  one  devoted 
Christian  woman  has  done  for  Travancore,  this 
stronghold  of  superstition  and  caste. 

Monday,  27. 

Early  yesterday  morning  we  attended  service 
in  the  mission  church  of  the  London  ]\Iissionary 
Society.  As  usual,  there  was  a  good,  intelligent 
congregation.  Of  course  my  husband  preached. 
This  now  is  the  Malayalim  Mission,  as  this  is  the 
Malayalim  country,  and  the  language  therefore 
has  changed.  In  the  farther  South  the  language 
was  Tamil,  which  doubtless  came  in  from  beyond 


TREVANDRUM. 


the  ghats  with  Tamil  immigrants;  but  Malayalim 
and  Tamil  are  closely  allied  and  spring  from  the 
same  root  as  Canarese,  Telugu,  and  Tulu,  all  the 
five  being  Dravidian  tongues. 

The  Rev.  S.  Mateer,  well  known  as  a  mission- 
ary and  an  author,  has  long  been  stationed  here. 
He  has  charge  of  Trevandrum  and  Quilon,  but 
was  seeking  health  at  home  at  the  time  of  our 
visit.  Mr.  Wilkinson  and  Mr.  Knowles — who 
has  lately  joined  the  mission — minister  in  the 
gospel  in  his  place.  There  are  39  congregations 
in  the  district  and  about  5,000  Christians,  with  a 
respectable  army  of  teachers,  village  preachers, 
pastors,  and  other  agents.  The  work  seems  to  be 
making  steady  progress  through  God's  blessing 
here,  as  at  the  other  stations,  while  among  the 
churches  there  is  a  great  deal  of  spiritual  life. 
The  meetings  for  prayer,  Bible-classes,  and  Sun- 
day-schools are  full  of  heartiness,  and  the  women 
seem  specially  earnest.  There  is  a  prayer-meet- 
ing among  them  entirely  conducted  by  them- 
selves. Then  the  women  who  can  read  go  to  the 
houses  of  those  who  cannot  and  read  to  them  and 
have  prayer,  while  others  collect  poor  children  to- 
gether, give  them  food,  and  then  teach  them  Bible 
lessons.  The  people  are  liberal  according  to  their 
means  and  bring  the  first-fruits  of  their  harvests 
and  other  offerings  to  their  chapels.    Of  course. 


236  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 

there  are  disappointments  and  discourao;ements, 
as  I  have  said  (where  are  these  not  to  be  found?), 
and  the  missionaries  have  a  hard  battle  to  fight, 
chiefly  because  of  this  abominable  caste,  which 
stands  in  the  way  of  all  progress. 

To-day  our  friend  Miss  Blandford  came  for  us 
early,  and  we  started  in  her  carriage  to  see  some- 
thing of  her  work.  We  first  went  by  appointment 
to  the  palace,  entered  the  fort  by  a  huge  gateway, 
and  stood  before  the  door  of  a  handsome  pile, 
where  we  were  received  by  a  gentleman  of  the 
court  and  straightway  ushered  into  the  presence 
of  the  senior  rani.  She  shook  hands  with  us  all, 
my  husband  not  excepted,  and  received  us  as  any 
English  lady  would  receive  her  guests.  Her 
rooms  are  very  pretty,  nicely  furnished,  with 
mirrors  and  a  few  pictures,  one  or  two  couches, 
and  a  table  with  books,  not  at  all  crowded,  nor 
like  an  upholsterer's  shop,  which  is  the  usual  na- 
tive taste.  The  floor  is  of  cool,  highly-polished 
chunam,  as  smooth  as  marble  and  nearly  as  white, 
and  no  carpet.  My  first  thought  was.  What  a  con- 
trast to  the  usual  zenana,  at  least  of  Bengal,  and 
how  striking  the  difference  which  this  lady  pre- 
sents with  all  her  surroundings  to  the  poor  faded 
ranis  in  their  dreary  apartments  at  Tanjore ! 
Here  you  see  at  once  what  education,  refinement, 
and  intercourse  with  a  cultivated  Christian  lady 


TREVANDRUM. 


have  accomplished.  Miss  Blandford  has  reason 
to  thank  God  for  her  successful  work.  All  the 
ladies  are  much  attached  to  her  personally,  and 
let  us  hope  and  pray  that  erelong  the  crowning 
joy  may  be  hers  of  seeing  them  heartily  Christ's. 
The  rani  is  a  most  pleasing  person,  not  very 
young,  with  soft,  retiring  manners,  perfect  self- 
possession,  wonderfully  fair  for  a  Southern  woman, 
and  having  a  gentle  though  intelligent  expression 
of  countenance.  Her  hair  was  all  gathered  in  a 
great  knot  at  one  side,  a  Madras  fashion  and  not  a 
becoming  one,  and  she  was  simply  though  richly 
attired,  her  chief  ornament  being  the  decoration 
sent  her  by  the  queen.  Of  this  she  is  immensely 
proud,  and  displayed  it  with  the  utmost  satisfac- 
tion. She  talks  English  wonderfully  well,  reads, 
writes,  draws,  and  employs  herself  as  educated 
women  do.  She  has  no  children,  and  thus  her 
time  is  all  her  own.  She  does  needlework  beau- 
tifully and  showed  us  a  group  of  flowers  she  was 
embroidering  on  velvet;  she  also  showed  us  the 
rooms  where  she  studies  with  Miss  Blandford,  in- 
cluding a  room  for  painting,  an  art  in  which  she 
delights.  I  noticed  that  in  every  apartment  al- 
most there  hung  a  portrait  of  Ilcr  Majesty  tlie 
Queen,  of  whom  Her  Highness  speaks  with  the 
greatest  reverence  and  affection.  She  is  not  a 
baptized  Christian,  but  a  Bible  lay  in  more  than 


238  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 

one  of  the  rooms  and  Miss  Blandford  reads  it  with 
her  constantly,  and  she  seems  to  be  at  least  intel- 
lectually a  believer.  May  her  heart  be  opened  to 
the  Ivord  as  was  Lydia's ! 

We  were  surprised  to  find  that  the  man  who 
had  received  us  at  the  door  in  the  most  unpre- 
tending way  and  conducted  us  in  was  the  rani's 
husband,  a  small  man  about  40,  without  shoes  or 
stockings,  and  with  a  turban  on  his  head.  In  this 
strange  country  husbands  seem  to  be  only  append- 
ages. From  what  I  have  already  said  of  the  queer 
laws  of  succession,  you  will  see  that  the  mahara- 
jah's  own  son  cannot  succeed  him.  If  he  has  a 
brother,  and  he  is  in  his  right  mind,  he  can  and 
does  succeed.  But  the  late  maharajah  had  no 
brother;  he  therefore  adopted  two  nieces,  his  sis- 
ter's children,  who,  by  virtue  of  this  adoption,  be- 
came ranis  and  are  the  two  ladies  we  have  been 
visiting.  They  were  married  to  two  men  chosen 
for  them;  but,  unfortunately,  the  senior  rani  has 
no  children,  which  must  be  a  great  grief  to  her. 
This  proved  the  wisdom  of  having  adopted  two 
ladies  instead  of  only  one.  The  junior  rani  has 
three  sons  now  alive,  and  they  are  the  heirs  to 
the  throne ;  so  she  is  a  person  of  .great  conse- 
quence. There  was  also  a  little  princess  born,  at 
which  event  there  were  great  rejoicings.  How 
strange  it  is:  here  the  joy  is  when  a  girl  is  born; 


TREVAXDRUM. 


in  Bengal  and  other  parts  such  an  event  is  con- 
sidered a  calamity  and  the  attendants  are  afraid  to 
go  and  break  the  sad  tidings  to  the  expectant  fa- 
ther. But  this  poor  little  princess  died,  and  a 
terrible  grief  it  was.  In  consequence  there  must 
be  another  case  of  adopting,  for  none  of  the  chil- 
dren who  may  be  born  to  any  of  the  three  lads, 
who  are  themselves  heirs,  will  be  eligible  for  the 
throne.  Their  father  is  dead,  but  their  mother  is 
married  again,  and  it  does  not  matter  how  many 
different  fathers  the  various  children  have  so  long 
as  the  mother  is  the  same;  and  if  she  has  a  little 
girl,  her  children  will  be  heirs. 

The  senior  rani  and  her  husband  are  a  most 
happy  and  devoted  couple.  He  incurred  the  dis- 
pleasure somehow  of  the  late  maharajah  and  was 
for  years  banished  from  the  court.  But  his  wife 
was  faithful  to  him,  although  they  often  tried  to 
induce  her  to  marry  some  one  else.  On  his  death- 
bed the  old  king  relented,  and  the  banished  man 
was  permitted  to  return  and  join  his  wife;  and 
now  they  are  living  happily  together,  he  sympa- 
thizing with  her  in  all  her  higher  tastes.  He 
charged  himself  with  Dr.  IMitchell's  entertain- 
ment, who  found  him  not  only  intelligent,  but 
really  learned  in  Sanscrit  and  other  lore. 

We  were  not  so  interested  in  our  visit  to  the 
junior  rani;  and  yet  she  has  a  strong,  good  face 


240  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


and  was  most  courteous  to  us.  Her  eldest  son, 
who  is  the  heir-apparent  and  is  called  the  Elliah- 
Rajah,  has-  an  establishment  to  himself;  but  her 
two  younger  boys  were  with  her — nice  little  lads, 
with  dark,  olive  faces  and  rather  heavy  locks  be- 
neath small,  richly-embroidered  turbans.  They 
wore  green  satin  coats,  embroidered  with  gold, 
red  silk  trousers,  and  no  shoes  or  stockings.  Their 
little  royal  highnesses  did  everything  for  our  en- 
tertainment: they  read  an  English  book  and  reci- 
ted a  little;  one  then  played  on  the  vina^  a  small 
instrument  like  the  guitar,  while  the  other  sang 
a  monotonous  strain  in  Malayalim.  As  we  took 
leave  their  mother  graciously  presented  me  with 
photographs  of  herself  and  her  three  sons. 

In  the  afternoon  we  paid  another  royal  visit, 
this  time  to  His  Highness  the  heir-apparent  or 
Elliah-Rajah.  A  carriage  was  sent  for  us  from 
the  palace,  in  which  we  drove  a  good  way  to  a 
kind  of  garden-house,  where  His  Highness  resides 
just  now.  He  is  a  mild,  gentleman-like  young 
fellow,  with  pleasing,  quiet  manners,  rather  short, 
and  dressed  in  the  simplest  gray  suit,  English  in 
pattern,  with  a  small  white  turban  twisted  round 
his  shapely  head  and  very  becoming  to  his  dark 
face.  He  talked  English  perfectly,  with  an  ex- 
cellent accent,  and  asked  the  most  intelligent 
questions  on  many  subjects.    He  seemed  greatly 


TREVANDRUM. 


241 


pleased  to  have  my  husband  to  talk  to  and  begged 
us  to  prolong  our  visit;  but  when  the  conversa- 
tion turned  on  religion  it  was  manifest  that  he  is 
a  very  orthodox  Hindoo.  All  the  reigning  family 
seem  to  be  the  same,  the  maharajah,  perhaps,  the 
most  so  of  all.  He  is  bringing  some  holy  water 
from  the  Ganges,  I  see  in  a  paper,  to  present  as 
an  oblation  to  the  idol  in  one  of  the  most  sacred 
shrines  in  his  dominions.  It  makes  one's  heart 
heavy  to  think  that  so  much  boasted  enlighten- 
ment produces  so  little  real  light;  but  this  only 
comes  with  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  The 
young  man  was  earnest,  however,  and  thoughtful 
in  his  talk,  and  said  with  feeling  as  well  as  polite- 
ness, as  we  took  leave  of  him,  that  he  would  never 
forget  this  visit  nor  the  food  for  thought  the  con- 
versation had  provided  him.  My  husband  next 
visited  the  dewan,  or  prime  minister;  so  I  think 
we  have  done  our  duty  by  the  powers  that  be. 

In  the  evening  he  gave  an  English  lecture 
under  the  auspices  of  the  Young  Men's  Debating 
Society,  and  the  large  hall  at  the  college  was 
crowded  in  every  part  with  both  Europeans  and 
natives.  He  contrasted  the  condition  of  India 
in  1838,  when  he  first  landed  on  its  shores, 
with  what  it  is  at  the  present  time.  He  showed 
the  marvellous  progress  there  has  been,  and  the 
change  for  the  better  in  a  hundred  ways,  giving 

brrne*  In  Hoiilhom  Inrlla.  I  6 


242  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


as  the  causes  for  these  the  efforts  of  a  humane 
Government,  education,  missionary  influence,  the 
spread  of  the  precepts  of  Christianity,  and  so  forth. 
The  subject  was  so  interesting  that  he  was  lis- 
tened to  breathlessly;  but  as  soon  as  he  had  fin- 
ished, up  started  an  irate  Maratha  Brahman,  who 
poured  forth  a  deluge  of  talk  in  reply.  He  glori- 
fied the  Marathas  and  the  Maratha  dynasty,  con- 
tending that  the  good  old  times  of  the  great  Shi- 
vaji  were  really  the  palmy  days  of  India.  Mrs. 
Ross  and  I  had  to  come  away  in  the  middle  of 
this  tirade,  as  she  was  expecting  friends  to  dinner; 
but  the  gentlemen  told  me  afterwards  that  my 
husband  had  quietly  answered,  and  in  the  judg- 
ment of  all  the  audience  had  fairly  extinguished 
him,  at  which  there  had  been  a  good  deal  of 
amusement. 

Tuesday  Evening. 

The  belligerent  Maratha,  to  his  honor  be  it 
said,  does  not  bear  malice.  He  called  early  this 
morning  on  Dr.  Mitchell,  coming  in  state  in  his 
carriage,  with  scarlet-coated  attendants,  paid  his 
antagonist  some  high-flown  compliments,  had  a 
long,  pleasant  talk,  and  finally  they  parted  the 
best  of  friends. 

The  dewan  has  also  called  and  is  exceeding- 
ly kind  and  gracious.  It  seems  that  he  also  is  a 
Maratha  Brahman,  able  and  enlightened,  occupy- 


TREVANDRUM. 


243 


ing  the  most  influential  position  after  the  mahara- 
jah  in  the  State. 

We  spent  the  whole  of  the  next  morning 
after  breakfast  with  Mr.  Ross,  in  his  college  and 
high  school;  a  noble  institution  in  every  respect 
it  is.  Mr.  Ross  has  an  able  associate  in  Dr.  Har- 
vey and  a  good  staff  of  native  professors  and 
teachers.  There  is  also  a  preparatory  school  for 
which  some  additional  premises  are  now  being 
built.  The  college  buildings  are  very  handsome, 
and  the  rooms  large,  airy,  and  numerous.  There 
are  about  a  thousand  pupils,  taking  all  the  de- 
partments, with  one  hundred  and  twenty  in  the 
college.  We  went  from  class  to  class  intensely 
interested.  The  education  is  thorough  and  ex- 
cellent, and  the  lads  bright  and  evidently  in 
earnest  over  their  studies;  frank,  too,  and  an- 
swering with  a  pleasant  readiness  you'  do  not 
always  find,  which  makes  the  examination  ani- 
mated and  interesting.  But  what  certainly  had 
for  us  the  chief  interest  and  seemed  very  remarka- 
ble was  to  hear  the  Bible  taught  in  this  institu- 
tion; for  you  must  remember  it  belongs  to  Gov- 
ernment, and  more  than  this,  to  a  heathen  Gov- 
ernment. The  Biblc-classcs  were  taught  by  a 
Syrian  named  Luke,  an  intelligent  man,  who  is  a 
master  in  the  high  school.  Each  class  in  the 
school  (not  college)  has  Bible  instruction  for  one 


244  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 

hour  every  week ;  and  this  has  been  the  practice 
since  it  was  opened,  I  think  in  1835.  The  first 
master,  IMr.  Roberts,  insisted  on  being  allowed  to 
teach  the  Scriptures,  and  the  point  then  yielded 
has  never  since  been  interfered  with.  This  man 
Luke  is  a  relative  of  the  late  Patriarch  of  the 
Syrian  Church,  the  Mar  Athanasius  whom  we 
knew  in  Bombay  a  great  many  years  ago. 

Our  final  school  visit  was,  perhaps,  the  most 
pleasing  of  all;  it  was  to  Miss  Blandford's  caste- 
girls'  school.  As  we  drove  into  the  compound 
within  the  fort  walls  we  saw  quite  close  to  the 
school  building  the  charred,  blackened  ruins  of 
a  house,  evidently  the  scene  of  a  late  fire.  "  How 
did  you  possibly  escape  ?' '  we  exclaimed.  ' '  How, 
indeed,"  said  Miss  Blandford,  "but  by  the  mer- 
ciful interposition  of  God  in  direct  answer  to 
prayer !" 

It  seems  that  some  new  Government  official 
had  set  his  affections  on  this  house,  which  Miss 
Blandford  had  used  for  her  school  for  years.  She 
was  accordingly  turned  out  and  put  to  immense 
inconvenience.  The  pupils  were  in  sore  grief  on 
account  of  their  school,  and  especially  for  their 
dear  lady,  who  had  difficulty  in  getting  other 
premises  which  were  suitable.  So  they  agreed 
together — teacher  and  taught — to  pray  that  the 
old  house  might  be  given  back.    Then  the  fire 


TREVANDRUM. 


occurred ;  the  one  house  was  consumed,  while  its 
close  neighbor  was  spared.  "  Ah,"  said  the  chil- 
dren and  the  people  also,  "God  has  taken  care  of 
the  schoolroom  because  it  is  yours.  God  intends 
you  to  have  it;  you  will  get  it  back  !"  And  sure 
enough,  it  was  given  back;  and  here  they  are  in- 
stalled, and  the  school  is  more  successful,  more 
crowded,  and  more  a  favorite  than  ever. 

Miss  Blandford's  own  class  is  composed  of 
quite  grown-up  girls,  pleasing  and  intelligent, 
giving  very  thoughtful  answers  to  the  questions 
put.  One  question  was,  "What  is  better  than 
gold?"  "  Knowledge,"  at  once  answered  a  pleas- 
ant-looking girl.  "Is  there  anything  better  than 
knowledge?"  "Yes,"  answered  another.  "What 
is  it?"    "A  pure  heart!"  she  said. 

I  am  always  in  my  element  in  a  school  like 
this,  and  we  stayed  long,  seeing  all  the  depart- 
ments thoroughly.  Most  of  the  children  are  dis- 
figured by  the  elongated  ear  filled  with  massive 
rings  and  weights,  and  also  by  the  unbecoming 
way  in  which  they  dress  their  hair.  Some  have 
it  gathered  into  an  untidy  bunch  at  the  left  side, 
and  others  have  the  bunch  on  the  forehead.  They 
all  seem  fond  of  Miss  Blandford,  and  also  of  the 
Miss  Gahans,  and  to  be  on  the  most  easy,  familiar 
footing  with  them;  "much  happier  in  school," 
they  say,  "  than  anywhere  else."    One  dear,  wee 


246  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


child  in  the  infant  department  I  longed  to  take 
away  to  exhibit.  She  is  remarkably  small,  like 
a  doll,  with  innocent,  big,  grave  eyes,  which  fix 
on  yours  with  the  most  questioning  gaze.  She 
is  wonderfully  fair,  being  the  child  of  a  rich  Nair 
family,  and  richly  dressed  in  a  little  crimson  pet- 
ticoat, starred  with  yellow,  reaching  to  the  prett}' 
little  feet,  a  bright  green  velvet  bodice  edged  with 
gold  lace,  &nd  a  beautiful  jewel  of  pearls  and 
rubies  on  her  forehead,  the  hair  gathered  to  the 
side.  She  sat  quite  happily  on  my  lap,  not  in  the 
least  afraid  or  shy. 

There  were  about  eighty  pupils  in  all  and 
among  them  a  few  Syrian  Christian  girls.  Many 
seemed  to  be  a  good  deal  more  than  half  Chris- 
tian. They  said  they  believed  Christianity  to  be 
true,  but  dared  not  profess  it,  as  their  parents 
would  be  very  angry  and  they  would  be  taken 
from  school.  This  would  be  the  saddest  thing 
that  could  happen  to  them.  And  is  it  not  won- 
derful that  these  proud,  bigoted  people  should 
permit  their  daughters  to  be  so  completely  under 
the  influence  of  a  Christian  woman?  Surely  it  is 
the  Lord's  doing  and  shows  a  purpose  of  mercy 
to  the  next  generation  in  Travancore. 


THE  BACKWATER. 


247 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

THE  BACKWATER. 

MARCH  I. 

We  are  again  afloat,  this  time  literally  so.  It 
is  early  morning,  hardly  more  than  dawn,  and 
we  are  sitting  on  a  sort  of  sofa-chair,  like  a  gar- 
den-seat somewhat,  on  the  roof  of  our  boat — for 
we  are  now  shooting  along  through  the  lagoons 
and  lakes,  filled  from  the  numerous  rivers  and 
streams  of  this  well-watered  land,  which  form  the 
famous  Backwater  of  the  Malabar  coast. 

These  lagoons  are  connected  by  canals  and 
make  a  grand  line  of  water  communication,  which 
is  of  great  commercial  importance  to  all  this  re- 
gion. This  Backwater  is  always  smooth  and  nav- 
igable and  is  untouched  by  the  storms  of  the 
ocean,  from  which  it  is  divided  by  high  embank- 
ments of  sand  and  by  a  margin  of  cultivated  and 
well-wooded  flat  country,  which  is  generally  also 
well  populated. 

The  fresh  morning  air  on  the  water  is  quite 
enlivening.  I  could  not  remain  any  longer  be- 
low in  the  close  little  cabin,  and  so  here  wc  arc 
perched,  enjoying  the  cool  air,  while  we  speed 


24S  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 

along  as  fast  as  our  sixteen  oarsmen  can  take  us. 
The  channel  just  now  is  narrow  and  the  banks 
full  of  beauty.  We  are  going  through  a  region 
of  picturesque  loveliness  too  beautiful  to  describe. 
There  are  woods  and  waters,  lakes  and  fens,  rip- 
pling streams  and  sullen  canals,  stately  palms  and 
mighty  raonarchs  of  the  forest,  with  a  tangled 
undergrowth  of  dazzling,  varied,  gleaming-  shola. 
or  natural  bush.  There  are  tall,  wavy  grasses 
and  lowly  mosses,  gnarled  old  stems  silvered  with 
lichen  or  clambered  over  and  clothed  with  beauty 
from  a  hundred  different  delicate  fern -fronds; 
there  are  climbers  and  trailers  and  parasites  with- 
out end,  which  throw  their  gigantic  arms  round 
strong  trees  and  then  fling  themselves  about  with 
wanton  frolic  in  loops  and  festoons  and  garlands 
of  endless  beauty.  In  short,  all  along  the  banks 
there  is  the  luxuriant  wealth  of  vegetation  which 
belongs  to  the  tropics,  bathed  in  the  night-dews 
and  gleaming  and  glowing  in  the  glorious  sun- 
shine of  morning. 

After  dinner  last  night  we  took  leave  of  our 
most  hospitable  entertainers,  who  have  simply 
loaded  us  with  kindness.  Mr.  Ross  drove  us 
down  about  two  miles  in  the  sircar  carriage — 
which  had  been  placed  at  our  disposal  from-  the 
palace  all  the  time  of  our  stay — to  the  little  pier 
at  the  head  of  the  canal  where  our  boat  was 


THE  BACKWATER 


249 


moored.  The  dewan  has  most  considerately  sent 
a  peon  (or  messenger),  who  is  to  accompany  ns 
and  look  after  the  supplies  of  boatmen — a  needful 
precaution.  ]\Ir.  Ross  sends  another,  so  we  are 
well  off.  It  is  indeed  remarkable  how  carefully 
and  wisely  our  whole  journey  has  been  planned 
for  us  all  through,  and  our  hearts  continually 
swell  with  gratitude  to  our  gracious  God,  from 
whose  loving  hands  come  all  these  benefits  and 
who  makes  our  way  so  easy. 

Joseph  had  our  quilts  and  pillows  spread  on 
the  narrow  benches  in  the  tiny  cabin,  our  stal- 
wart, dusky  boatmen  were  ready  at  their  oars, 
flags  were  flying  ga}ly  from  stem  and  bow;  so, 
waving  an  adieu  to  our  friends  on  the  bank,  we 
struck  out  into  the  stream  and  were  soon  gliding 
swiftly  along  in  the  gloom  of  the  overarching 
boughs  and  the  thick,  dark  foliage  which  clothed 
the  banks  on  either  side.  The  moon  was  shining, 
but  in  a  sky  of  very  milky  hue.  Not  a  star  was 
there  to  be  seen  to  cheer  us  on  our  way.  The  air 
was  damp  and  heavy  and  laden  with  the  luscious 
scent  of  a  hundred  jungle  flowers.  INIosquitoes 
buzzed  and  cicadas  chirruped,  the  men  were  very 
noisy,  and,  tired  though  we  were,  to  sleep  was 
out  of  the  question.  The  kindly  visitant  strove 
liard  to  come  at  our  bidding,  but  the  strife  with 
the  harsh  voices,  especially  of  the  noisy  boatmen, 


SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


was  quite  an  unequal  one.  When  not  chatting 
and  laughing  they  were  singing  and  kept  up  a 
monotonous  chant  often  during  the  night.  Coax- 
ing and  threatening  were  alike  unavailing  to  keep 
them  quiet. 

We  changed  the  men  ever}^  ten  miles,  when 
we  halted  at  some  jetty,  and  then  the  hullabaloo 
was  inconceivable.  They  shouted  and  yelled  and 
woke  the  echoes,  so  as  to  rouse  the  village  which 
had  to  supply  the  next  relay;  and  when  the  un- 
willing, sleepy  creatures  came  at  the  sircar's 
summons  the  strife  of  tongues  which  ensued  was 
truly  awful.  So  it  was  rather  an  unhappy  night, 
but  the  joy  of  the  glorious  morning  far  more  than 
compensated  for  the  sorrows  and  weariness  of  the 
troubled  night.  The  rejoicing,  masterful  sup  has 
cleared  the  heavens  of  the  cream-like  veiling,  or 
"scuffed  the  clouds,"  as  our  skipper  in  the  China 
seas  used  to  say;  and  how  the  beams  dance  and 
sparkle  in  the  tangle  of  green  loveliness  which 
the  banks  present !  It  is  more  beautiful  every 
moment.  Some  of  the  trees  arc  laden  with  strange 
fruit  and  others  are  gorgeous  with  bright  blos- 
soms. Looking  upward  you  see  towering,  soaring 
cocoa  palms.  There  are  forests  of  them,  their 
straight  gray  stems  rising  to  the  height  of  a  hun- 
dred feet  and  more,  crowned  a-top  with  their 
beautiful  plume  of  waving  fronds,  in  the  midst 


TIIE  BACKWATER.  25I 

of  which  bright  bits  of  bhie  sky  peep  out  here 
and  there.  Then,  if  you  keep  your  gaze  to  the 
level  of  the  water,  there  is  the  shola  I  spoke  of — 
an  undergrowth  of  riches  inexhaustible:  ferns  and 
grasses  and  shrubbery,  full  of  greens  and  browns 
and  brighter  colors,  and  an  infinite  variety  of  leaf. 
And  now  we  come  on  some  real  English-looking 
greensward.  But  here  is  Ouilon,  where  we  are 
to  land  until  the  heat  of  the  day  has  moderated. 

We  landed  at  eight  and  were  strolling  up  the 
bank  with  our  white  umbrellas  and  sun-hats,  hav- 
ing sent  off  our  attendants  in  search  of  the  Trav- 
ellers' Bungalow,  when  we  met  a  tall,  gentle- 
manly man  in  a  suit  of  white  flannel,  who  politely 
accosted  us  and  with  true  Indian  hospitality  invi- 
ted us  to  his  house.  This  was  Mr.  Cameron,  a 
countryman,  of  course,  and  originally  from  Bade- 
noch;  so  we  have  much  in  common  and  were  fast 
friends  at  once.  We  discovered  afterwards  that 
our  kind  friend  Mr.  Ross  had  quietly  given  him 
a  hint  to  waylay  us,  if  at  home.  He  led  us  up 
by  a  splendid  avenue  of  feathery  casuarina-trccs 
away  towards  the  sea,  where  high  over  the  shore 
his  bungalow  stands.  It  commands  a  magnificent 
ocean  view.  On  entering  the  house  we  found  a 
real  bachelor  abode.  The  vcranda-room  present- 
ed a  delightful  medley,  the  most  prominent  arti- 
cles l)cing  newspapers,  books,  and  magazines, 


252  SCENES  IX  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


with  guns  and  sticks  and  fishing-tackle  and  other 
gear  of  the  sort  in  every  corner.  Beyond,  in  the 
inner  precincts,  there  shone  a  dazzling  vision  of 
a  daintily  -  spread  breakfast -table,  and  beyond 
again,  in  some  cool,  dark,  remote  recesses,  were 
to  be  found  the  crowning  delight — the  o-ood  old 
Indian  bath-tub.  To  know  the  full  luxury  of  a 
bath  you  must  come  to  India.  Your  "  tub  "  here 
means  a  reservoir  full  to  the  brim,  standing  over- 
night on  cool,  wet  slabs,  into  which  you  plunge 
bodily  and  emerge  a  new  being.  After  an  expe- 
rience like  this  we  brought  very  appreciative 
appetites  to  the  fresh  fish  and  rice  and  new-laid 
efrfrs,  with  the  various  relishes,  and  then  the 
heaps  of  delicious  fruit  which  always  accompany 
an  Indian  meal. 

After  this  the  gentlemen  decreed  that  I  was 
to  repose  on  one  of  the  roomy  couches,  which  I 
did  with  a  file  of  the  "Inverness  Courier"  beside 
me.  A  good  hour's  sleep  followed  to  us  all  and 
left  us  entirely  refreshed.  INIr.  Carruthers,  of 
Inverness,  a  grandson  of  the  famous  old  editor, 
had  joined  us,  and  we  had  a  charming  day. 

At  three  o'clock,  after  lunch,  we  again  set 
sail,  our  kind  entertainer  and  Mr.  Carruthers  ac- 
companying us  to  the  boat.  It  was  still  very  hot, 
but  we  had  a  good  distance  with  unknown  perils 
before  us,  aud  the  supplies  of  boatmen,  to  say  the 


THE  BACKWATER. 


least,  uncertain.  Our  sircar  peon  is  very  zealous, 
but  awakens  my  husband's  wrath  by  the  ready 
knocks  and  cuffs  he  administers  to  the  poor  men 
when  they  fail  in  their  duty.  This  official,  with 
his  belt  and  badge  and  coat  of  scarlet  and  gold 
and  very  important  ways,  is  quite  a  person  of 
authority  among  the  poor  people,  who  treat  him 
with  a  homage  hardly  less  than  they  accord  to 
the  sahib  himself.  Our  own  man  generally  de- 
parts to  the  stern  in  a  sort  of  dignified  retirement, 
feeling  rather  superseded.  He  has  just  produced, 
however,  a  most  excellent  curry  for  our  dinner, 
how  cooked  in  the  hole  in  the  bottom  of  the  boat, 
which  is  all  there  is  for  kitchen,  I  cannot  make 
out;  but  Indian  servants  have  an  amount  of  re- 
source in  this  sort  of  thing  which  is  peculiar  to 
themselves. 

The  boatmen  under  the  darkening  sky  are  as 
like  savages  as  if  we  were  on  Lake  Tanganyika. 
They  are  wonderfully  black,  with  shock  heads,  or 
the  hair  gathered  into  a  fantastic  knot  over  their 
foreheads.  They  have  no  turbans  and  no  clothes, 
except  the  bit  of  rag  roimd  the  loins.  They  chat- 
ter immensely,  though  now  they  are  singing  a 
dirge-like  song.  One  man  leads  off,  singing  a 
line,  then  the  whole  crew  catch  up  the  refrain, 
repeating  over  and  over  the  same  words  to  the 
same  monotonous  strain.    Occasionally  a  clever 


254  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


one  among  them  improvises,  and  he  must  say 
something  droll,  for  there  is  a  general  laugh. 
Poor  fellows  !  they  are  very  enduring  and  work 
like  machines  at  the  oars  hour  after  hour.  Dr. 
^litchell  often  tried  to  talk  to  them;  but,  alas! 
their  language  was  so  strange  that  there  was  little 
mutual  comprehension,  and  none  of  them  could 
read. 

The  evening  is  exquisite,  much  finer  than  last 
night  when  we  started.  There  is  something  in- 
effably pensive  and  sweet  in  the  scene  and  full  of 
restful  peace  as  the  golden  radiance  from  the  set- 
ting sun  subdues  and  melts  into  the  silver\-  light 
of  the  moon,  not  yet  quite  full,  which  gleams 
softly  on  the  still  water.  The  lagoon  has  greatly 
widened  and  the  palm-trees  look  solemn  and  spec- 
tral on  the  distant  banks.  We  have  just  been 
saying  that  such  an  evening,  succeeding  the  busy, 
bustling,  garish  day,  reminds  one  of  the  finished 
life  of  a  chastened,  happy,  useful  Christian  wait- 
ing calmly  in  the  light  at  eventide  to  be  taken 
home. 

In  the  Boat,  3d  March. 
Here  again  is  the  moniing,  full  of  brightness 
and  coolness  and  exuberance  of  life.  Our  men 
are  much  quieter,  so  we  have  had  some  sleep. 
Poor  fellows !  they  are  too  tired  to  be  noisy.  No 
wonder,  for  the  relays  have  failed  utterly,  not- 


THE  BACKWATER.  255 

withstanding  the  sircar's  official  zeal  and  author- 
ity. One  set  has  brought  us  some  forty  miles. 
They  go  wearily  as  we  wind  through  the  great 
waste  of  waters,  and  we  have  just  told  them  to  go 
to  the  bank  and  halt  a  little.  Numbers  of  palm- 
climbers  are  at  work,  scrambling  up  the  branch- 
less stems  like  monkeys  and  bringing  down  little 
pots  full  of  the  sweet,  fresh  juice  of  the  wonder- 
ful tree.  We  have  treated  our  men  to  as  much 
of  this  refreshing  beverage  as  they  can  drink, 
with  which  they  are  greatly  charmed,  and  they 
will  resume  their  oars  with  more  spirit.  This 
•  juice  is  called  iadi,  *  and  by  evening  it  will  have 
fermented  and  become  intoxicating;  now  it  is  a 
most  pleasant  draught  and  very  invigorating. 

I  never  saw  the  phosphorescence  on  the  water 
so  glorious  as  last  night.  I  could  hardly  lie  still 
for  gazing  at  its  changeful  beauty.  The  whole 
surface  of  the  water  sometimes  looked  like  a  lake 
of  fire,  and  as  the  oars  struck  it  broke  into  tiny 
ripples  and  whirls  of  dancing  light  most  curious 
and  beautiful.  Sometimes  we  seemed  to  go  over 
waves  and  crests  of  light,  and  then  again  it  broke 
into  curls  and  twists,  as  if  snakes  of  fire  were  pur- 
suing us.  The  sounds,  too,  were  often  peculiar. 
Close  to  our  stern  or  side  there  would  be  a  sudden 
splash  and  swirl,  showing  unmistakably  the  prcs- 
*  Hence,  apparently,  the  word  "  toddy." 


256  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


ence  of  big  creatures  in  the  water,  probably  some 
monster  of  the  deep.  One  time,  very  incautious- 
ly, I  confess,  I  had  my  arm  out  of  the  window, 
catching  the  cool  water  in  my  hand,  when  some- 
thing slimy  and  cold  struck  it.  I  did  not  need  a 
second  warning;  and  when  we  saw  a  dead  alliga- 
tor float  past  on  his  back  this  morning  I  thought 
I  would  not  be  so  venturesome  again. 

The  scenery  has  changed  a  little  from  yester- 
day. The  lagoons  are  of  wider  expanse,  though 
the  channels  wind  and  alter  constantly.  Now 
the  water  is  a  mile  or  two  wide;  a  little  while  ago 
it  was  only  a  few  yards.  Away  on  the  horizon  are 
to  be  descried  hills  and  dreamy,  purple  mountain 
ranges;  and  on  the  other  hand,  though  not  always 
visible,  there  is  the  blue  expanse  of  ocean,  but 
entirely  separated  from  us  by  the  wall  of  sand  I 
have  spoken  of. 

There  is  plenty  of  life  about,  which  is  gener- 
ally the  case  in  the  morning.  A  good  many  bag- 
gage and  cargo  boats  are  being  towed  or  pushed 
along  by  a  pole,  wielded  generally  by  a  solitary 
man.  Other  boats  of  quaint  construction  there 
are,  though  not  many  canoes  or  fishing- boats. 
Often  we  came  on  tiny  islands  beautifully  wood- 
ed; and  hamlets  are  frequent  now  as  we  get  nearer 
Cottayam,  pretty  little  homesteads  surrounded  by 
fences  of  palm  branches.    Pretty  white  churches 


THE  BACKWATER. 


too  gleam  amid  the  woods,  always  surmounted  by 
a  cross.  Most  of  these  are  Roman-catholic,  but 
some  belong  to  the  Syrian  Christians  who  are 
scattered  over  this  coast.  Often  there  is  only  a 
cross,  whitewashed  and  raised  on  a  pedestal,  and 
occasionally  ornamented  with  a  wreath  of  flowers, 
the  offering  of  some  devout  and  simple  worship- 
per. How  sweet  and  pleasant  a  contrast  to  the 
shrine  for  the  worship  of  demons  and  how  cheer- 
ing! This  looks  almost  like  a  Christian  land. 
And  how  fairylike  is  the  scener>-:  it  puts  us  in 
mind,  with  its  many  waters  and  tortuous  chan- 
nels winding  among  woods  and  islands  and  low 
promontories  and  green  flats,  of  the  lovely  St. 
Lawrence  and  its  thousand  islands.  We  have 
iust  passed  a  tall  stork  standing  on  one  leg  in  a 
contemplative  mood  on  a  stem  among  some  reeds; 
and  now,  a  little  farther  on,  a  huge  crocodile  lies 
on  a  bit  of  greensward  lazily  sunning  himself  It 
is  now  becoming  too  hot  to  sit  on  deck,  and  we 
are  glad  to  be  approaching  Cottayam,  where  we 
sliall  stay  for  a  few  days  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Neve, 
of  the  Church  Missionary  Society. 


Vcnca  In  Hoalbem  Inill*. 


17 


258  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

COTTAYAM:  its  missions.     the  SYRIAN  CHRIS- 
TIANS OF  MALABAR. 

We  did  not  arrive  here  until  long  past  noon 
yesterday.  Our  weary  mariners  went  very  deject- 
edly for  the  last  few  hours,  and  we  had  not  the 
heart  to  urge  them  on,  although  the  little  cabin 
was  like  an  oven,  in  which  we  were  being  baked 
and  browned.  Our  clever  cJmprassic^  however, 
knocked  up  a  kind  of  awning  outside  the  door, 
beneath  which  we  sat  on  our  quilts  cross-legged, 
like  Oriental  potentates,  and  endured  the  heat  as 
philosophically  as  we  could.  The  servants  had 
all  gone  to  sleep,  as  indeed  had  all  nature.  The 
dear  little  birds,  who  had  been  carolling  to  us 
from  early  dawn,  found  it  too  hot  to  sing  any 
more  and  hid  away  among  the  cool  leaves,  the 
giant  frogs  forgot  to  croak,  the  shrill  voices  of  the 
untiring  cicadas  were  happily  silenced  for  a  while, 
and  even  the  screeching,  vivacious,  tiresome  green 
paroquets  ceased  their  restless  flight  and  chatter 
and  left  us  for  a  while  in  peace.  Only  the  beau- 
tiful little  silver  fish,  which  darted  about  us  in 
shoals,  looked  cool  and  happy  in  the  clear  green 


cottayam:  its  missions. 


259 


depths  of  the  still  water.  Voices  which  at  mid- 
night fill  the  jungle  with  their  noisy  chorus  are 
hushed  at  midday,  and  there  was  not  a  sound  but 
the  splash  of  the  lazy  oar  and  the  snores  of  the 
sleeping  men.    The  tyrant  sun  reigned  supreme. 

The  water  by-and-by  broadened  into  a  sea-like 
expanse.  They  say  the  distant  banks  are  splen- 
did shikar  grounds,  where  the  tiger,  elephant,  and 
leopard  are  to  be  found  in  the  primeval  forest, 
and  also  plenty  of  smaller  game.  The  head  boat- 
man pointed  westward,  where  the  large  and  im- 
portant town  of  Allepy  lay  with  its  shipping  and 
lighthouse  and  large  population,  and  soon  there- 
after we  drew  near  to  the  palm-fringed  shore  at 
Cottayam. 

How  glad  we  were  to  step  on  to  the  jetty  and 
take  refuge  from  the  intolerable  blaze  beneath  the 
dense,  delicious  shade  of  the  glorious  palm  forests, 
for  here  the  tree  abounds  in  every  sort  and  size 
and  species.  We  sat,  with  a  cool  carpet  of  sward 
beneath  our  feet  and  the  grand  canopy  of  plumes 
over  our  heads,  until  the  servant  from  the  mis- 
sion-house, who  had  watched  for  our  arrival  since 
morning,  went  for  the  carriage  to  bring  us  up. 
I\Ir.  and  Mrs.  Neve  had  sent  us  a  most  kind  invi- 
tation, and  we  were  entertained  by  them,  as  we 
have  been  by  missionaries  of  all  societies,  in  the 
heartiest  and  warmest  way. 


26o  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 

We  have  now  left  the  mission  fields  of  the 
London  Missionary-  Society  behind  us  in  the 
South,  and  have  reached  the  borders  of  those  oc- 
cupied by  the  Church  ^Missionary  Society.  It 
began  its  labors  in  the  jMalayalim  country'  in 
1816,  at  the  invitation  of  "the  good  resident," 
Col.,  afterwards  Gen.,  IMunro,  and  certainly  there 
is  no  region  more  interesting,  from  a  mission- 
ary point  of  view,  than  this  in  all  India.  The 
circumstances  which  give  special  interest  to  this 
mission  are,  first,  the  existence  here  still  of  the 
ancient  Syrian  Church  of  Malabar,  the  history  of 
which  has  been  so  remarkable  and  has  so  largely 
stirred  the  hearts  of  Christian  people  everywhere; 
and  next,  the  existence  of  a  colony  of  Jews,  who 
are  said  to  have  made  their  way  to  India  in  the 
first  century  after  the  destruction  of  the  second 
temple.  These  Jews,  however,  are  now  to  be 
found  chiefly,  or  almost  solely,  in  Cochin.  The 
Syrian  Christians  are  all  about  us  here  and  around 
Cottayam. 

Very  little  was  known  about  the  Syrian  Church 
of  Malabar  until  after  1498,  when  the  Portuguese 
landed  on  this  coast.  Vasco  de  Gama  and  his 
people  were  astonished  to  find  a  colony  of  fellow- 
Christians  before  them  in  heathen  India,  who  in 
their  turn  were  glad  to  welcome  the  new-comers, 
so  much  more  like  themselves  than  the  poor 


COTTAYAM:  ITS  MISSIONS. 


261 


heathen  round  them.  Three  centuries  later  the 
English  occupied  Malabar;  and  it  was  soon  after 
this  that  Dr.  C.  Buchanan,  then  a  chaplain  in 
Bengal,  visited  this  ancient  church  and  reported 
on  its  condition.  He  carried  out  his  inquiry  in 
1806;  and  Col.  Macaulay,  who  was  then  British 
resident  in  Travancore,  took  the  liveliest  interest 
in  the  matter  and  aided  him  in  ever}'  possible 
way.  The  result  was  the  establishment  in  1816 
of  a  mission  under  the  auspices  of  the  Church 
Missionary  Society,  which  has  worked  in  the  dis- 
trict ever  since,  chiefly  among  the  Syrian  Chris- 
tians, but  also  among  the  heathen. 

Is  it  not  a  most  curious  and  striking  fact  that 
these  two  communities,  one  of  God's  ancient  peo- 
ple and  this  wonderful  old  Christian  church, 
should  have  existed  here  side  by  side  during  all 
these  ages — that  a  lamp  of  Bible  truth,  a  double 
light,  one  might  say,  though  a  poor  and  feeble 
one  enough,  should  have  burned,  however  faintly, 
and  have  been  kept  alive  amid  ever>'  change  and 
trouble  until  now,  when,  eighteen  centuries  later, 
it  is  glimmering  still  in  the  midst  of  the  deep 
darkness  of  the  surrounding  heathenism  ?* 

•  I  find  the  following:  in  a  sketch  of  the  Syrian  Christian 
Church  by  the  Rev.  R.  H.  Maddox,  of  the  Church  Missionary 
Society:  "The  presence  of  these  two  large  and  influential 
communities  (the  Jews  and  Christians)  in  the  country,  linked 
by  no  common  tie,  yet  witnesses  together  through  strange 


262 


SCENES  IX  SOUTHERN-  INDIA. 


Happily  now  there  are  other  lamps  alight  in 
the  mission  stations  which  have  been  planted  by 
the  different  societies  like  lighthouses  alons^  the 
coast  Let  us  hope  and  pray  and  work  until  this 
old  church  is  thoroughly  re\-ived  and  God's 
ancient  people  also  are  brought  in  and  led  to 
acknowledge  him  who  with  such  infinite  gra- 
ciousness  has  said,  ' '  I  am  the  Lord  thy  Saviour 
and  thy  Redeemer,  the  Mighty  One  of  Jacob." 

As  to  the  origin  of  the  Syrian  Christians  in 
Malabar  the  missionaries  generally  seem  to  accept 
the  usual  explanation  given,  namely,  that  they 
are  the  descendants  of  those  converted  under  the 
preaching  of  the  apostle  Thomas  in  India.  This 
is  the  oldest  tradition  and  seems  to  be  the  most 
accredited.  At  all  events  they  themselves  love 
to  speak  of  St  Thomas  as  the  founder  of  their 
church. 

From  where  I  sit  I  can  see  an  old  gray  S>Tian 
church  peeping  out  from  amid  the  woods.  It  is 
indeed  a  new  feature  in  an  Indian  landscape, 
these  weather-beaten  moss-marked,  often  dilapi- 
dated places  for  Christian  worship  one  comes 
upon  here.  There  is  the  modest  gray  cross  rising 
above  the  trees  and  pointing,  like  a  finger  of 

vicissitudes  for  eighteen  centuries  to  the  truth  of  God's  reve- 
lation in  the  midst  of  heathenism,  is  a  startling  as  well  as 
deeply  interesting  phenomenon  in  the  history-  of  the  church 
of  God." 


COTTAYAM:  ITS  MISSIONS. 


263 


hope,  towards  heaven,  surely  suggestive  of  some- 
thing bright  and  blissful  in  the  future.  These 
poor  Christians  are,  no  doubt,  dark  and  ignorant 
enough.  They  were  in  a  very  sunken  and  de- 
graded condition  when  the  missionaries  landed  in 
the  midst  of  them  some  seventy  years  ago,  and 
still,  I  am  afraid,  they  are  low  spiritually  and  the 
things  of  God  among  them  ofttimes  ready  to  die. 
But  God  has  not  removed  their  candlestick  out  of 
its  place;  the  one  living  and  true  God  has  been 
worshipped  in  their  simple  churches  and  he  has 
preserved  this  singular  people  as  witnesses  for 
himself  in  a  region  where  it  may  be  said  "Satan's 
seat  is" — where  heathenism  in  some  of  its  foulest 
and  most  revolting  aspects  abounds.  Our  faith, 
then,  should  be  equal  to  the  certain  hope  and 
belief  that  a  good  and  glorious  day  of  grace  is  yet 
in  store  for  them,  and  that  the  little  oasis  in  this 
great  moral  wilderness  will  spread  until  it  covers 
this  part  of  India  as  with  a  garden  of  the  Lord. 

We  have  had  quite  a  touching  leave-taking 
from  our  boatmen,  poor  fellows  !  who  accompa- 
nied us  to  the  mission-house,  each  carrying  some- 
thing of  our  effects.  We  retain  our  boat  and  also 
the  magnificent  embodiment  of  authority,  our 
scarlet-belted  chuprassie^  but  we  have  dismissed 
tlie  men  meanwhile.  They  have  been  made 
happy  by  liberal  backsluisli,  inchulin,^  a  kid  for 


264 


SCENES  IX  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


their  supper  with  which  to  make  inerr\-  and  re- 
cruit their  exhausted  energies.  The  salams,  down 
to  our  yery  feet,  have  been  gone  through  and  they 
are  off  in  high  glee,  chattering  at  the  top  of  their 
voices.  They  look  ver\'  much  like  savages.  Not 
one  of  them  can  read,  and,  indeed,  many  of  the 
people  look  wonderfully  wild  and  barbaric  for  a 
pro\-ince  which  boasts  of  schools  and  colleges  and 
English-speaking  officials  and  an  enlightened 
Government 

This  is  a  charming  mission-house,  and  our 
kind  host  and  hostess  are  just  as  charming  as 
their  dwelling.  Mr.  Neve  is  principal  of  the 
well-known  Church  Missionar\-  College  of  Cotta- 
yam,  and  along  with  pressing  and  varied  work 
into  which  both  he  and  his  wife  were  at  once 
thrown  on  their  arrival  they  have  to  study  the 
hard  Malayalim  tongue. 

Near  the  house  and  in  the  same  compound 
stands  the  college,  a  large  building  in  which 
there  is  accommodation  for  the  boarding  of  many 
of  the  pupils.  It  is  a  ven,-  important  institution, 
there  being  no  other  of  the  kind  nearer  than 
Trevandnim  on  the  one  hand  and  Cochin  on  the 
other.  Mr.  Neve's  sphere  is  a  most  influential 
and  important  one,  as  it  bears  so  much  on  the  na- 
tive Christian  community-,  the  pastors  and  other 
agents  all  being  educated  and  trained  within  its 


cottayam:  its  missions. 


265 


walls.  It  also  exercises  a  very  elevating  influ- 
ence on  the  Syrian  church.  At  right  angles  to 
the  house  there  is  the  college  chapel,  a  beautiful 
little  building,  the  most  church-like,  I  think,  I 
have  seen  in  India.  It  is  in  the  Old  English 
style,  with  real  Gothic  windows — not  the  usual 
venetian-blind  pattern  which  the  necessities  of 
climate  have  made  nearly  universal.  Inside  it  is 
very  pretty,  with  stalls  and  pews  parallel  to  the 
walls  made  of  dark  wood,  the  proper  hue  which 
generally  comes  from  age.  It  was  very  pleasant 
to  hear  the  bell  sounding  out  for  evening  service, 
and  now  the  voices  of  the  lads  came  to  me,  led  by 
a  harmonium,  in  the  familiar  strains  of  the  Even- 
ing Hymn. 

The  other  missionary  now  at  this  station  is 
Mr.  Painter,  who  occupies  a  mission-house  stand- 
ing on  a  richly-wooded  undulatioti  across  a  valley 
just  opposite.  This  valley  is  turned  into  a  lake, 
or  lagoon,  in  the  monsoon,  when  the  country  is 
more  or  less  flooded,  and  the  members  of  the  mis- 
sion go  to  each  other's  houses  in  boats. 

We  walked  over  in  the  cool  of  the  evening 
yesterday  to  another  compound,  where  a  remark- 
able old  lady  resides,  who  received  us  literally 
with  open  arms.  This  is  the  venerable  Mrs. 
Baker,  widow  of  the  Rev.  H.  Baker,  who  was 
one  of  the  first  missionaries  to  Cottayam.  His 


266 


SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


noble  wife  worked  by  his  side  till  his  death,  in 
1 866,  and  happily  she  is  spared  to  work  still. 
She  opened  a  boarding-school  for  girls  in  1818, 
the  year  after  their  arrival,  and,  wonderful  to  say, 
it  not  only  exists  still,  but  she  conducts  it.  We 
saw  it  to-day.  There  are  eighty  pupils,  and  the 
dear  old  lady  looked  busy  and  happy  among  her 
children.  She  is  quite  deaf,  but  she  manages  her 
large  family  marvellously,  and  the  girls  are  de- 
voted to  her  and  quite  under  her  control.  Many 
of  the  matrons  in  the  native  Christian  homes  and 
the  nicer  women  among  the  Syrian  Christians 
were  trained  by  Mrs.  Baker.  Indeed,  her  steady, 
loving  work  of  more  than  sixty  years  has  had  a 
most  beneficial  influence  in  elevating  the  women 
of  the  district  generally.  When  I  suggested  that 
she  ought  now  to  rest,  she  said,  with  her  brave 
missionary  spirit,  "When  I  cannot  have  my  dear 
girls  about  me  I  '11  lie  down  and  die." 

There  is  another  admirable  girls'  boarding- 
school  taught  and  superintended  by  Mrs.  Henry 
Baker  and  her  daughters.  It  has  about  a  hun- 
dred and  fifty  pupils,  who  all  live  on  the  prem- 
ises, and  is  one  of  the  best  conducted  and  most 
successful  institutions  of  the  kind  we  have  seen. 
This  lady  is  also  a  widow.  Her  husband,  the 
Rev.  Henry  Baker,  son  of  the  old  lady,  whose 
death  a  few  years  ago  was  a  great  loss  to  the  mis- 


cottayam:  its  missions. 


267 


sion,  was  an  able  and  influential  man  and  is 
known  chiefly  as  having  originated  mission  work 
among-  an  interesting  aboriginal  people,  the  Hill 
Arrians.  There  were  some  two  thousand  con- 
verts gathered  in  from  among  them  before  his 
death,  in  1878. 

Mrs.  Neve  has  thrown  herself  into  work  for 
the  female  children  of  heathen  families  as  the 
other  ladies  work  among  the  Christians,  and  al- 
ready she  has  organized  four  day-schools  for  them. 
She  had  the  little  things  gathered  into  the  veran- 
da, that  we  might  see  them  and  be  saved  a  walk 
in  the  sun,  and  it  was  a  very  pretty  sight.  They 
looked  very  different  in  feature  and  dress  from 
the  Christians,  both  Syrians  and  others;  but  they 
have  bonnie  little  intensely  black  faces,  with 
bright  eyes  and  torn  ears  and  large  chignons,  and 
looked  on  the  strangers  with  awed  curiosity. 
They  read  the  Bible  and  answered  remarkably 
well,  and  I  could  not  but  rejoice  heartily  that 
Mrs.  Neve  has  been  led  to  take  up  this  branch  of 
female  work,  it  is  of  so  much  importance  to  get 
at  the  girls,  the  children  of  the  heathen  around. 
May  the  Master  aid  and  bless  her  efforts ! 

Our  visit  would  be  delightful  but  for  this  con- 
suming heat.  It  daily  becomes  more  trying,  and, 
along  with  the  sight-seeing,  taxes  the  energies  a 
good  deal.    There  is  a  delicious  sea-brccxc  during 


268 


SCENES  IX  SOUTHERN  INDIA, 


the  afternoon,  but  it  dies  down  in  the  evening 
and  you  begin  to  pant  again.  Yesterday  Mr. 
Neve  took  us  to  the  library  and  over  the  college, 
where  my  husband  spent  most  of  the  morning. 
There  are  270  lads,  most  of  whom  are  Christians 
and  are  educated  up  to  the  matriculation  stand- 
ard. I  was  much  attracted  by  the  fine,  intelli- 
gent teachers,  who  were  themselves  trained  in 
the  college  and  are,  some  of  them,  Syrian  Chris- 
tians. As  usual,  Dr.  Mitchell  questioned  the 
classes  and  gave  an  address. 

The  farther  we  penetrate  into  this  wonderful 
little  kingdom  of  the  South  the  more  are  we 
struck  with  the  exuberance  and  beauty  of  the 
vegetation.  Nature  indeed  has  been  prodigal  of 
her  favors.  On  this  coast  the  palm  family  is 
specially  numerous  and  varied.  The  graceful 
areca  and  betel-nut  abound,  also  the  talipot,  and 
the  cocoa  palm  soars  over  one's  head  endlessly. 
Then  there  are  the  beautiful  pepper-trees  and 
other  spices;  also  the  bamboo,  mimosa,  casuarina, 
and  many  others,  magnificent  banyans,  often  or- 
namented with  lovely  orchids,  tamarinds  and 
mangoes  and  plantains,  with  plenty  of  the  more 
useful  woods,  such  as  jack  and  blackwood  and 
sandalwood  and  teak.  Different  fruits  you  see 
hanging  from  a  hundred  trees.  The  flowering 
shrubs  are  gorgeous,  and  so  arc  the  endless  trailers 


cottayam:  its  missions. 


269 


and  creepers,  while  always  there  is  the  mar\-ellous 
variety  of  foliage  and  the  luxuriant  wealth  of 
green.  The  fine  old  Portuguese  commanders 
knew  what  they  were  about  when  they  chose 
beautiful  and  prosperous  Malabar  for  their  land- 
ing-place! If  it  had  only  the  beauties  of  holiness 
in  equal  measure  with  its  natural  beauties  it 
would  indeed  be  a  delightsome  land. 

The  people  seem  well-to-do  and  comfortable, 
though  certainly  they  do  not  need  much.  You 
see  a  little  clearing  near  the  water-edge;  a  peas- 
ant, with  only  his  cloth  for  clothing,  builds  his 
hut  of  wood  and  clay  there,  roofs  it  and  fences  it 
round  with  dried  palm  branches;  he  owns  proba- 
bly a  few  of  these  useful  trees,  which  are  his  rev- 
enue and  which,  with  his  little  rice-fields  and, 
perhaps,  a  few  sheep  or  cattle,  provide  him  and 
his  family  with  everything  needful  for  their  life. 
He  eats  and  drinks  and  sleeps  and  marries  his 
sons  and  daughters,  and  he  wants  nothing  more. 
It  looks  a  peaceful  picture.  But  there  is  another 
side  to  it. 

My  friend  and  I  placed  ourselves  on  the  bridge 
by  the  jetty  to  wait,  and  I  think  we  sat  there  for 
two  hours,  for  the  interest  of  their  visit  and  the 
tortuosities  of  the  stream  had  alike  detained  the 
gentlemen.  But  we  kept  a  most  entertaining 
vigil.    It  was  a  splendid  chance  for  me  to  watch 


270  SCENES  IN-  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


the  people  and  their  doings.  As  it  grew  dusk 
numbers  came  down  to  bathe  and  others  to  wa.sh 
their  cloths  (not  clothes).  They  stood  up  to  their 
waists  in  the  water  and  chatted  with  their  neigh- 
bors or  muttered  their  evening  prayers.  They 
had  no  clothing  to  speak  of,  neither  men  nor  wo- 
men, except  the  universal  cloth  I  have  spoken  of, 
which  is  a  stripe  of  dirty  yellow  cotton  wound 
about  the  loins,  either  hanging  down  or  caught 
up  between  the  legs,  according  to  the  caste. 

There  were  many  passers-by  on  the  bridge.  I 
wished  that  I  could  sketch  or  photograph  some  of 
the  groups.  All  were  foot-passengers,  no  carts 
and  bullocks,  such  as  are  usually  seen  on  Indian 
roads.  There  were  coolies  carr\-ing  the  most  pic- 
turesque loads  on  their  heads,  such  as  bunches  of 
cocoanuts  tied  together  by  the  fibre,  or  rough,  red 
pottery  in  the  loveliest  shapes,  or  a  pot  full  of  the 
frothy  juice  of  the  cocoa  palm  fresh  drawn  from 
the  tree. 

One  or  two  young  women  passed  to  or  from 
the  well  with  water-pots  poised  on  their  heads. 
These  they  carried  with  wonderful  grace,  though 
the  heads  were  sorely  disfigured  by  a  huge  sort  of 
chignon,  into  which  the  wealth  of  black  hair  was 
gathered  at  the  front  or  side.  The  better-class 
women  are  erect,  lithe,  and  often  slim,  the  skin 
of  a  darker  hue  than  in  the  West  and  North,  the 


cottayam:  its  missions.  271 

deformities  being  this  unbecoming  mode  in  hair- 
dressing,  the  torn  lobe  of  the  ear,  and  a  very  in- 
adequate amount  of  clothing. 

Soon  there  came  a  group  of  travellers  by:  an 
old,  tottering  woman,  wrapped  and  enveloped  in 
a  red  cloth,  and  carefully  led  by  a  bonnie  little 
girl;  a  younger  woman,  much  ornamented,  carr>'- 
ing  a  screaming  infant  on  her  hip;  a  man  with  a 
few  brass  drinking-vessels  hanging  from  his  cloth 
over  his  back,  and  a  betel  box,  a  roll  of  matting — 
probably  their  bedding — on  his  head,  and  a  small 
naked  boy  hanging  on  to  his  disengaged  hand. 
They  looked  wayworn  and  tired  and  went  wearily 
in  single  file.  What  was  my  surprise  to  see  them 
hastily  step  aside,  draw  up  in  a  line  against  the 
parapet,  and  bow  in  lowly  obeisance  as  a  fat,  oily 
man,  with  a  brick-dust  hue  of  skin,  a  topknot  on 
his  otherwise  shaven  head  instead  of  turban,  and 
a  palm  leaf  umbrella  in  his  hand,  sauntered  slow- 
ly by.  This  was  a  lordly  Brahman;  but  he  con- 
descended to  bestow  his  benediction  on  the  hum- 
ble group  as  he  passed  on  his  way. 

A  young  man  in  a  tidy  white  starched  coat, 
whom  Mrs.  Neve  knew,  had  joined  us  and  was 
XCT)'  good  in  answering  my  questions.  He  said 
the  wayfarers  were  a  Sudra  or  Nair  family,  prob- 
ably respectable,  well-to-do  people,  going  to  their 
home.    The  Nairs  arc  always  profoundly  respect- 


272  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


ful  to  the  Brahmans,  though  often  a  good  deal 
jealous  of  them. 

Presently  a  number  of  people  gathered  at  one 
end  of  the  bridge  and  stuck  there  for  some  reason 
or  other.  There  was  much  shouting  and  halloa- 
ing, and  we  found  that  another  Brahman,  one  of 
the  Namburi  caste,  and  therefore  doubly  sacred, 
was  about  to  cross  the  road.  The  Namburis  are 
the  special  priests  of  the  IMalayalim  country  and 
specially  holy,  pretentious,  and  domineering  to 
all  other  castes.  Their  laws  are  inconceivably 
absurd  and  strange,  especially  regarding  marriage 
aud  inheritance,  and  their  customs  generally  the 
same,  though  they  have  the  redeeming  point  of 
being  charitable  and  hospitable  to  strangers,  if 
only  these  strangers  are  Brahmans. 

Well,  this  sacred  personage  had  to  cross  the 
bridge,  and  the  unfortunates  at  the  other  side  were 
poor  Pulayas,  the  lowest  of  the  low,  hardly  a  caste 
at  all,  from  among  whom  the  slaves  usually  were 
drawn.  Rigid  law  in  this  province  forbids  such 
inferior  creatures  to  come  within  90  feet  of  the 
high-born,  holy  Namburi.  In  former  days  any 
infringement  of  this  rule  was  punishable  by  death. 
Even  a  Nair  would  cut  a  low-caste  man  down  if 
he  approached  nearer  than  the  limits  allowed  by 
law.  Until  within  late  years,  indeed,  the  low 
Pulayas  were  not  allowed  to  use  the  public  roads 


cottayam:  its  missions. 


273 


at  all.  They  had  to  go  through  the  jungles  to 
their  work,  and  when  they  labored  in  the  rice- 
fields  their  masters  and  owners  had  to  shout  their 
orders  from  a  safe  distance,  to  which  pollution 
could  not  travel. 

Watching  with  intense  eagerness  what  would 
happen  as  the  halloaing  continued,  we  saw  the 
waiting  group  break  and  scatter  and  scamper  off, 
it  did  not  matter  where,  as  if  a  mad  dog  had  got 
into  the  midst  of  them.  Some  scrambled  down 
the  bank,  some  flew  off  in  the  direction  whence 
they  had  come,  some  vanished  out  of  sight  into 
the  water,  but  all  disappeared  in  a  twinkling. 
And  then  the  miserable  man  who  caused  it  all 
went  loftily  on  his  way.  It  would  have  been  un- 
speakably ludicrous  if  it  had  not  been  so  prepos- 
terous and  provoking.  Fancy  all  these  people 
detained  and  put  out  of  their  way  to  serve  no  end 
at  all,  though,  of  course,  the  man  was  not  so  much 
the  transgressor  as  his  system. 

I  must  allow  that  the  Pulayas  do  look  low 
enough.  Their  physique  is  not  grand.  They 
are  short  and  slight,  with  low  foreheads,  a  mean 
cast  of  feature,  exceptionally  dark  in  complexion, 
and  often  with  a  depressed,  vacant  expression  on 
their  very  plain  faces.  But  who  can  wonder  at 
this  after  the  long  ages  of  oppression  they  have 
worn  through?    The  women  decorate  themselves 

Srrnpii  In  <<..ull.oin  Inilln.  jg 


274 


SCENES  IX  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


with  quantities  of  beads  and  strings  of  cowries. 
They  also  have  bangles  and  other  ornaments 
made  of  brass  and  lead,  for  they  are  not  allowed 
to  wear  gold  or  silver.  They  live  in  the  most 
miserable  huts,  too  bad  for  cattle,  made  of  sticks 
and  cocoa  branches,  and  generally  built  near  the 
paddy-fields  where  they  work.  Slavery-  is  abol- 
ished by  law  and  proclamation ;  but,  all  the  same, 
slaver}-  exists  still.  These  poor  creatures  are 
slaves  now,  so  we  are  assured,  and  are  often 
bought  and  sold  with  the  land.  These  low  castes 
are  not  allowed  to  enter  a  shop.  They  supply 
their  wants  by  putting  their  money  down  outside; 
they  then  retire  the  prescribed  distance — for  hap- 
pily the  money  does  not  carr\-  pollution — and 
shout  their  needs  to  the  shopman.  He  takes  up 
the  money,  lays  the  articles  in  its  place,  and  de- 
parts out  of  harm's  way,  while  the  poor,  deluded 
creatures  take  their  goods  and  go  contentedly  off. 
Mr.  Einlyn,  of  Pareychaley,  told  us  so  great  was 
the  ignorance  formerlv  among  the  slave  tribes 
that  they  believed  the  missionaries  were  sent  by 
Government  to  capture  them  in  order  that  they 
might  be  given  as  food  to  gold-producing  rats! 
Nothing  is  too  absurd  or  monstrous  for  these  poox 
people  to  believe. 

And  yet  they  can  be  raised  by  the  power  of 
the  gospel.     Moreover,  the  gospel  is  the  only 


cottayam:  its  missions. 


275 


power  which  has  ever  been  able  to  raise  them  iu 
the  least  from  the  depth  of  their  ignorance  and 
degradation.  A  great  deal  of  work  has  been  done 
among  them  and  numbers  have  become  Chris- 
tians. Indeed,  we  are  assured  that  the  whole 
Pulaya  caste  would  come  over  to  Christianity  if 
there  were  only  people  enough  to  teach  them.  It 
is  natural  that  they  should  easily  become  con- 
verts, for  they  have  nothing  to  lose  and  much  to 
gain.  They  see  the  advantage  the  new  faith 
brings  in  every  way  to  those  who  embrace  it. 
They  rise  at  once  in  the  social  scale,  have  more 
privileges,  better  houses,  more  comforts,  and  be- 
come quite  respectable  people.  Their  children 
are  received  in  all  the  mission-schools,  education 
advances,  and  it  has  been  proved  beyond  dispute 
that  these  outcasts  are  quite  capable  of  being 
turned  into  able,  intelligent,  and  useful  citizens. 
Many  of  them  are  sincere  and  earnest  and  work  as 
catechists  among  their  people.  What  a  wonder- 
ful and  glorious  change  this  mighty  gospel  effects! 
To  see  these  poor  oppressed  tribes  being  brought 
in,  worshipping  God  in  the  simple  little  churches 
which  are  springing  up  among  the  jungles,  in- 
stead of  practising  the  frightful  rites  of  their  ter- 
rible superstitions,  and  then  to  see  them  consid- 
ered and  treated  as  men,  may  well  quicken  faith 
and  set  one's  heart  on  fire  with  the  longing  that 


276  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 

the  work  should  be  done  thoroughly  and  adequate- 
ly and  at  once.  And  there  is  hope  in  every  effort 
put  forth.  The  missionaries  declare  that  the  peo- 
ple among  whom  the  greatest  progress  has  been 
made  in  late  years  are  just  these  poor  outcast 
slaves. 

It  is  a  striking  fact  too  that  their  masters  often 
approve  of  their  becoming  Christians.  Why? 
Because  they  thus  become  better  servants.  They 
do  not  steal  and  cheat  and  lie  as  they  used  to  do. 
This  is  a  grand  testimony  to  the  moral  character 
of  these  simple  Christians.  When  shall  we  see 
both  master  and  slave  brought  in  together?  the 
former  saying  with  the  prophet,  "  Have  we  not 
all  one  Father?  Hath  not  one  God  created  us? 
Why  should  we  deal  treacherously  every  man 
against  his  brother  ?" 

But  I  have  wandered  far  from  the  bridge,  as  I 
did  that  night  in  my  thoughts.  Long  after  the 
sun  went  down  we  sat  there,  gazing  over  the 
waters  and  woods  into  the  fading  light  and  the 
silence  which  soon  fell.  Now  and  then  a  broad- 
winged  bird,  probably  a  kingfisher,  would  rise 
from  some  thicket,  whirl  round  and  round  over- 
head, .soar  higher  towards  the  heavens,  until  for  a 
moment  there  seemed  only  a  speck  against  the 
sky,  and  then  suddenly  dart  down  among  the 
sedges,  find  there,  I  supix).se,  what  he  had  come 

I 
I 


COTTAYAM:  ITS  MISSIONS.  277 

for,  spread  wing  again,  and  disappear  among  the 
branches.  It  did  not  grow  quite  dark.  The 
evening  star  rode  high,  not  like  a  point,  but  a 
great  orb,  sending  a  broad  gleam  of  light  across 
the  calm  lagoon.  Sirius  with  his  changeful  spar- 
kle hung  in  marvellous  brilliance  over  us;  and 
soon  the  moon,  now  near  its  full,  rose  like  a  ball 
of  gold  and  sent  a  flood  of  lovely  softened  radi- 
ance over  the  exquisite  scene.  By-and-by  we 
heard  in  the  stillness  the  plash,  plash  of  the  oar; 
our  two  gentlemen  stepped  ashore  and  we  saun- 
tered home,  carrying  many  a  picture  and  mem- 
ory in  our  heart  which  will  not  easily  be  effaced. 


2/8  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

COTTAYAM:  SUNDAY  SERVICES  AMONG  THE 
SYRIAN  CHRISTIANS. 

My  husband  is  certainly  much  in  his  element 
here,  having  many  opportunities  of  declaring  his 
message.  He  "said  a  few  words,"  as  he  express- 
es it,  last  night  to  the  pastors;  this  morning 
"spoke  a  little"  to  the  theological  students;  at 
one  o'clock  he  gave  a  lecture  to  the  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association;  and  in  the  afternoon  he 
had  the  honor  of  presiding  at  the  Annual  Exhi- 
bition of  the  college.  He  gave  away  the  prizes 
and  then  delivered  an  address  to  the  lads.  An 
exceedingly  pretty  and  successful  display  it  was. 
The  company  included  the  whole  station,  and  the 
place  was  gayly  and  prettily  decorated  by  the 
boys.  But  the  heat !  Who  shall  tell  it?  To  say 
that  we  are  in  a  perpetual  vapor-bath  is  a  mild 
description  of  what  it  is  now. 

Notwithstanding  our  vigils  last  night,  we 
were  up  betimes  this  morning.  Dr.  Mitchell 
went  oflf  with  Mr.  Painter  to  visit  some  of  the 
Syrian  churches;  he  also  saw  the  Syrian  College, 
empty  now  and  silent,  and  then  the  jirinting- 


COTTAYAM:  the  SYRIAN  CHRISTIANS.  279 

press,  a  useful  handmaid  to  the  mission,  whence 
a  missionary  magazine  issues  monthly  and  many 
useful  publications.  Finally  he  accompanied 
Mr.  Painter  to  his  Divinity  Hall,  as  we  should 
style  it,  where  he  teaches  systematic  theology  to 
the  aspirants  for  the  ministry  and  trains  school- 
masters and  evangelists.  Afterwards  my  hus- 
band spent  a  most  interesting  hour  talking  to  the 
students  and  getting  an  insight  into  their  minds 
and  feelings  in  view  of  their  future  solemn  work, 
and  then  gave  them  an  address.  There  were 
some  vSyrians  and  a  few  outsiders  present. 

I. had  joined  him  and  we  breakfasted  with  the 
Painters  in  their  pretty  mission  -  house.  I  was 
charmed  with  it  and  the  views  of  the  wooded, 
undulating  country  below,  where  one  or  two 
quaint  old  Syrian  churches  rose  picturesquely 
among  the  trees.  There  was  also  the  native 
Christian  church,  with  its  handsome  tower,  which 
put  me  in  mind  of  a  pretty  village  church  at 
home. 

I  recall  this  morning  now  with  peculiarly  sad 
and  tender  recollection.  Very  soon  after  our  visit 
a  mournfully  dark  shadow  fell  across  the  sunshine 
of  this  happy  home.  A  little  child  was  welcomed 
to  it  to  increase  its  joy,  and  then  the  beautiful 
young  wife  and  mother  was  suddenly  taken  away 
to  the  yet  better  home  in  the  mansions  in  the 


28o  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


skies.  It  was  one  of  those  inexpressibly  sorrowful 
events  which  are  so  mysterious  also,  that,  not 
being  able  to  comprehend,  we  must  just  meekly 
bow  before  and  accept  as  simply  our  Father's 
will. 

"  Thy  way,  not  mine,  O  Lord, 
However  dark  it  be  ; 
Lead  me  by  thine  own  hand. 
Choose  out  the  path  for  me. 

****** 

"  Take  thou  my  cup,  and  it 
With  joy  or  sorrow  fill. 
As  best  to  thee  may  seem ; 
Choose  thou  my  good  and  ill." 

Mr.  Painter  had  brought  his  young  wife — a 
sister  of  his  fellow-missionary  Mr.  Neve  —  from 
England  a  few  months  before.  There  was  some- 
thing peculiarly  attractive  about  her,  and  she 
seemed  to  us  most  admirably  fitted  both  by  na- 
ture and  grace  for  the  position  she  was  chosen  to 
fill.  How  vividly  I  can  recall  her  appearance 
that  morning  as  she  showed  me  her  house  and 
school  and  spoke  so  brightly  of  all  the  work  she 
longed  and  hoped  to  do,  and  also  of  the  sweet  hope 
which  had  come  into  her  own  life!  No  thought 
of  early  death  or  a  luome  desolated  or  work  un- 
done or  a  vacant  place  could  ever  have  come  into 
one's  mind  in  connection  with  one  so  full  of  life 
and  joy  and  hope  as  she  was.    Alas,  how  true  it 


COTTAYAM:  TIIK  SYRIAN  CHRISTIANS.  281 

proved  in  her  case  that  at  the  brightest  "our  life 
is  but  a  breath!"  She  only  tasted  the  sweet  joys 
of  motherhood,  and  then, 

"  Not  in  darkness,  but  in  sunshine, 
Like  a  star  she  passed  awaj-.'* 

Sunday,  as  usual,  was  full  of  interest  and  full 
of  work.  We  started  early  to  attend  some  of  the 
services  in  the  Syrian  churches,  to  which  we  had 
been  looking  forward  with  great  expectation.  In- 
deed, it  had  been  a  dream  of  mine  to  visit  these 
Christians  of  St.  Thomas,  as  they  call  themselves, 
ever  since  ISIar  Athanasius,  the  late  Patriarch, 
used  to  sit  in  our  drawing-room  in  Bombay,  many 
years  ago,  and  tell  us  about  his  people.  I  well 
remember  him,  a  man  of  rather  low  stature,  with 
a  clever,  keen  face,  over  which  sat  a  round,  low, 
black,  turban-sort  of  hat,  his  whole  person  being 
enveloped  in  a  long,  loose,  black  gown.  He  was 
an  able,  well-educated  man  who  talked  intelli- 
gently and  well.  I  believe  he  was  also  earnest 
and  desirous  of  leading  his  church  in  the  direction 
of  evangelical  truth.  He  was  consecrated  Patri- 
arch at  Antioch. 

Under  him  the  church  flourished.  The  peo- 
ple became  better  educated,  and  progress  and  en- 
lightenment would  have  been  secured  but  for  the 
strong  conservative  party  who  opposed  him.  I 
need  not  follow  all  the  disputes  which  arose. 


2S2  SCENES  IX  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


Notwithstanding  them  all,  however,  the  spirit  of 
reform  grew  until  his  death,  which  took  place 
four  years  ago.  Since  then  the  rival  party — that 
opposed  to  reform — has  become  much  stronger, 
and  now  party-spirit  and  division  are  more  rife 
til  an  ever. 

While  the  Portuguese  were  in  power  in  this 
part  of  India  the  ecclesiastics  of  the  Romish 
Chu:ch  tried  hard  to  detach  the  Syrians  from 
their  own  Eastern  Church  and  bring  them  into 
subjection  to  Rome.  They  did  not  scruple  to 
bring  all  the  terrors  of  the  Inquisition,  then  es- 
tablished at  Goa,  to  aid  them  in  their  purpose ; 
and,  of  course,  they  were  so  far  successful.  But 
as  soon  as  the  Dutch  took  possession  of  Malabar 
they  ordered  the  Jesuits  and  priests  out  of  the 
country.  Then  the  English  came,  and  they  soon 
gave  full  liberty  to  the  Syrian  Christians,  who  all 
through  had  continued  loyally  and  devotedly  at- 
tached to  their  own  church,  and  they  hailed  their 
emancipation  from  the  tyranny  of  Rome  with 
great  joy. 

After  the  Church  Missionary  Society  had  com- 
menced its  work  on  this  coast  its  policy  was  to 
foster  internal  reform  in  the  Syrian  Church.  It 
did  not  seek  to  draw  converts  from  it,  but  to  re- 
form the  whole  body.  However,  the  result  wa."? 
not  satisfactory  ;  and  now  the  missionaries  have 


cottayam:  the  Syrian  christians.  283 

altered  their  plan,  and  they  receive  into  the  An- 
glican Church  any  who  may  wish  to  enter  it.  So 
we  may  say  there  are  now  three  parties:  the  re- 
formers, the  non-reformers,  and  the  converts  who 
have  come  out  of  both  parties  and  have  joined 
the  mission  of  the  Church  of  England.  I  ought 
to  have  said  that  the  Syrians  in  Travancore  and 
Cochin  who  have  not  submitted  to  Rome  number 
fully  300.000.*  The  whole  country  is  dotted 
over  with  schools  and  visited  by  evangelists  and 
preachers;  and  may  we  not  hope,  if  God's  people 
pray  for  it  with  sufficient  earnestness,  that  ere- 
long this  ancient  church  may  be  really  reformed 
by  a  revival  time  of  blessing  from  the  presence  of 
the  Lord  ? 

The  Sunday  services  we  found  to  be  deeply 
interesting.  We  first  went  to  the  church  where 
the  reform  party  conduct  their  worship,  one  of 
the  oldest  in  the  country.  It  certainly  has  a  look 
of  antiquity  ;  a  quaint,  rather  poor,  touching  old 
tabernacle,  in  wliich  it  required  no  great  stretch 
of  imagination  to  picture  the  apostle  Thomas  him- 
self preaching  to  the  assembled  Eastern-looking 
groups.  Outside  the  grave,  gray  old  building 
looks  picturesque  with  its  surrounding  of  wood, 

*  The  Travancore  almanac  gives  tlie  number  of  the  Syri- 
ans who  have  joined  liomc  as  136,230;  about  half  as  many 
are  Jacobile  Syrians. 


284 


SCENES  IX  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


A  stone  cross  of  rather  novel  construction  stands 
not  far  from  it,  with  a  second  cross-bar  at  the  top 
and  about  twenty  feet  in  height.  Buttresses  sup- 
port the  old  walls,  the  windows  are  pointed  and 
high-set,  and  the  roof  slopes  considerably.  Alto- 
gether it  is  not  unlike  one  of  those  ver}-  old 
churches  you  sometimes  come  on  in  a  pictu- 
resque, out-of-the-way  village  in  England.  In- 
side the  building  is  long,  narrow,  perfectly  simple, 
and  lofty.  The  walls  are  sombre  with  decayed 
whitewash,  and  the  ceiling  open  and  arched, 
showing  the  cross-beams.  At  the  upper  end  a 
rail  crosses  the  entire  floor,  within  which,  four 
steps  up,  is  the  altar,  gaudy  with  yellow  and 
green,  a  few  unlit  candles  upon  it,  and  a  curtain, 
which  is  drawn  across  as  the  service  requires.  A 
large  baptismal  font  stands  at  one  end,  the  floor 
is  carpeted,  and  a  reading-desk,  covered  with  red, 
faces  you  at  the  top  of  the  steps.  Over  the  altar 
is  hung  a  large  crucifix,  and  above  is  a  domed 
ceiling  painted  with  rude  frescos,  A  good  many 
pictures  ornament  the  lower  part  of  the  dome,  all 
of  course  representing  sacred  scenes,  and  some 
beautiful  old  bronze  lamps  are  suspended  from 
the  beams. 

We  were  received  ver\-  kindly  by  some  of  the 
deacons  and  conducted  up  a  rickety  stairway  to 
an  old  gallery  made  of  wood,  now  very  much 


COTTAYAM:  the  SYRIAN  CHRISTIANS.  285 

worm-eaten,  where  I  had  the  narrowest  escape 
from  tumbling  through  a  great  hole  in  the  floor 
to  the  slabs  below.  Within  the  rail  at  the  altar 
several  clergy  were  seated,  and  the  congregation, 
composed  of  a  good  many  men,  a  few  women,  and 
a  crowd  of  children,  sat  on  the  stone  floor  below, 
there  being  no  seats  of  any  sort,  not  even  matting. 
Before  the  service  began  a  woman  wrapped  in  a 
white  cloth  prostrated  herself  before  the  priest,  to 
make  confession,  they  said,  in  connection  with 
her  partaking  of  the  holy  communion  for  the  first 
time. 

I  was  very  glad  to  have  this  opportunity  of 
seeing  the  Syrian  women,  and  was  exceedingly 
struck  with  their  superiority  in  countenance  and 
appearance  and  dress  to  the  heathen  women  I 
have  seen  in  this  place.  They  look  intelligent 
and  even  sweet  in  expression  and  arc  wonderfully 
fair  in  complexion.  The  mission-schools  so  long 
conducted  by  the  ladies  here  have  had  a  most 
beneficial  influence  on  these  women,  many  of 
whom,  indeed,  have  been  educated  in  these  ex- 
cellent schools.  The  service  was  now  begun  by 
one  of  the  priests,  a  venerable  man  in  a  white 
robe  and  red  scarf,  with  a  very  long  beard,  who 
read  a  prayer  in  Malayalim,  with  his  back  to  the 
congregation.  This  was  succeeded  by  some  chant- 
ing, in  which  two  priests  and  eight  deacons,  all 


2S6  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 

seated  vvitliin  the  rail,  took  part.  Lessons  then 
were  read  from  both  the  Old  and  New  Testa- 
ments, with  lyrics  between,  which  were  sung  by 
some  boys,  the  people  hardly  joining.  There 
were  responses,  however,  tolerably  hearty.  The 
people  stood  at  prayer,  and  at  the  close  repeated 
"Amen."  But  the  service  as  a  whole  was  not 
impressive.  The  men  generally  were  not  rever- 
ent ;  the  women,  who  sat  separate  at  one  side, 
were  much  more  so :  their  heads  were  covered 
with  white  cloths,  and  they  prostrated  themselves 
occasionally,  clasping  their  hands  with  much 
seeming  devoutness.  The  services  continued 
long,  but  there  was  no  sermon  while  we  stayed. 

After  a  time  we  left  and  went  to  another  ser- 
vice held  not  far  off  by  the  original  or  non-reform- 
ing party.  We  found  this  going  on  in  a  veranda- 
like room,  narrow,  unventilatcd,  and  densely 
packed  with  half-clothed  people,  mostly  men. 
We  managed  to  get  in;  but  the  crush,  the  noise, 
and  the  terrific  heal  of  the  place  soon  drove  us 
out.  I  hope  I  shall  never  feci  anything  like  that 
awfnl  heat  again,  mingled  as  it  was  with  the 
steam  and  the  breaths  and  the  incense  which  the . 
gorgeous  priest  was  engaged  in  swinging  all  the 
time  we  were  able  to  remain.  After  this  it  was 
easy  to  imagine  the  Black  Hole  of  Calcutta.  I 
could  only  gasp  and  beg  to  be  taken  to  the  outer 


cottayam:  the  Syrian  christians.  287 

air  before  I  succumbed  altogethei.  So  we  did 
not  see  much  of  this  service,  which,  I  believe,  is 
full  of  ritual.  We  returned  to  the  first  place  and 
found  worship  still  proceeding.  The  curtain  was 
now  drawn  across  the  altar  and  the  congregation 
much  increased.  Presently  the  curtain  was  with- 
drawn and  the  priest  reappeared  in  a  splendid 
robe  of  scarlet  with  yellow  hood,  swinging  a  cen- 
ser of  incense,  when  there  rose  a  great  shout  of 
prayer,  I  might  call  it,  the  people  joining  in  and 
making  the  sign  of  the  cross  repeatedly  on  fore- 
head and  shoulder  and  breast.  The  candles  were 
now  lit,  the  fervor  of  the  congregation  was  deeper, 
and  the  responses  loud  and  hearty.  Some  lyrics 
were  nicely  sung  in  Malayalim  and  one  or  two  in 
Syriac,  and  then  all  was  concluded  by  repeating 
the  Lord's  Prayer.  The  communion  was  to  be 
celebrated  afterwards,  when  the  people  would  sit 
in  rows,  having  the  bread  and  wine  giveti  to  each, 
much  in  the  same  form  as  in  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land. But  wc  could  not  wait  for  this,  having  to 
go  to  the  mission  church  and  there  join  our  breth- 
ren and  sisters  in  the  holy  ordinance. 

We  found  the  service  had  already  begun  when 
we  entered  the  cool,  handsome,  well-filled  modern 
church.  My  first  thought  was,  What  would  many 
a  loving  missionary  heart  at  home  feel,  seeing 
what  we  had  seen  in  this  place  ?    And  now  here 


288 


SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


was  another  wonderful  and  impressive  spectacle: 
a  large,  orderly,  intelligent  congregation  of  young 
and  old,  as  respectable  as  any  you  could  see  at 
home,  with  one  from  among  themselves  reverently 
conducting  their  devotions.  These  would  all  of 
them,  pastor  and  people,  still  be  as  the  heathen 
outside,  or  at  best  like  these  poor  ignorant  Chris- 
tians who  have  so  much  to  learn,  but  for  the  glo- 
rious work  of  this  mission.  We  have  lately  seen 
many  such  native  Christian  congregations  and 
been  inexpressibly  interested;  but  our  hearts 
seemed  more  than  usually  touched  to-day,  I  sup- 
pose after  all  we  had  just  witnessed.  The  large 
group  of  women  and  schoolgirls  especially  struck 
me,  neat  and  tidy  in  tlieir  pretty,  simple,  white 
costume — such  a  contrast  to  the  half-clothed,  un- 
kempt, wild-looking  women  of  the  heathen  castes 
without.  There  were  some  Syrian  women  also 
present  who  looked  capable  of  any  amount  of 
training  and  work. 

It  need  not  be  told  how  earnestly  we  pray  and 
hope  that  the  existence  of  this  youthful,  but  flour- 
ishing and  living  native  Christian  church,  which 
through  God's  goodness  has  been  planted  here, 
may  have  the  effect  of  stirring  up  the  elder  sister 
church  to  new  life  and  vigor;  and  may  the  Spirit 
of  the  living  God  be  richly  poured  out  on  both, 
until  old  things  have  passed  away  and  all  things 


cottayam:  the  Syrian  christians.  289 

have  become  new,  not  only  among  the  Christians, 
but  among  the  heathen  also ! 

After  my  husband  had  preached,  his  sermon 
being  interpreted  by  the  pastor,  we  had  the  inex- 
pressibly solemn  joy  of  receiving  the  holy  com- 
munion in  company  with  the  native  Christians 
and  our  missionary  friends  from  the  hands  of  the 
native  ministers.  In  the  evening  Dr.  Mitchell 
again  preached,  this  time  in  the  college  chapel, 
to  an  English  audience;  and  then  the  memorable 
Sabbath  and  our  happy  visit  together  came  to  an 
end. 


Hccnra  In  Southern  Inilla, 


19 


290  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

THE  HILL  ARRIANS  OF  TRAVANCORE. 

In  all  the  hill  districts  of  India  there  are  to  be 
found  wilder  races  of  people,  who  differ  in  many 
respects  from  the  population  of  the  plains.  These 
are  mostly  aboriginal  tribes.  The  hill  country  of 
Travancore  is  no  exception  to  the  rule.  In  this 
region,  in  the  more  mountainous  parts,  several  of 
these  interesting  races  are  to  be  found,  the  most 
notable  being  the  Hill  Arrians,  who  inhabit  the 
higher  slopes  of  the  Western  Ghats. 

Some  of  the  same  curious  remains  which  have 
excited  so  much  interest  in  other  parts  of  India 
are  to  be  found  hereabout — such  as  cromlechs, 
strange  circles,  burial  mounds,  etc.  The  people 
are  not  idolaters;  they  worship  demons  and  the 
spirits  of  their  ancestors;  and  the  rites  they  prac- 
tise in  their  worship  and  in  the  ceremonies  con- 
nected with  births,  funerals,  and  marriages  are 
very  similar  to  those  of  other  wild  races,  such  as 
the  Karens  of  Burmah,  the  Gonds,  the  Santals, 
and  others. 

I  must  say  these  wild  people  show  most  excel- 
lent taste  in  the  selection  of  sites  for  their  villages 


I 


THE  HILL  ARRIAXS  OF  TRAVAXCORE.  29I 


and  settlements;  they  always  choose  the  loveliest 
spots.  But  I  had  better  quote  what  the  late  Rev. 
Henry  Baker  says  of  them  in  a  very  interesting 
paper  he  wrote  on,  the  subject  of  the  wilder  peo- 
ple here  and  the  progress  of  mission  work  among 
them,  which  he  prosecuted  with  much  vigor  until 
his  lamented  death.    He  says : 

"There  are  several  tribes  inhabiting  the  West- 
em  Ghats  in  the  Cochin  and  Travancore  coun- 
tries, of  whom  the  majority  are  divided  into  small 
wandering  bodies,  living  for  a  few  months  in  a  par- 
ticular spot,  and  then  deserting  it  for  another  as 
soon  as  their  scanty  crop  of  grain  is  reaped.  The 
Arrians,  however,  have  their  fixed  villages,  and 
reside  generally  on  the  western  slopes  of  the  higher 
range  of  mountains.  They  number  from  14,000 
to  iS,ooo  souls,  and  by  the  Government  ofiicials 
are  called  Mulla  Vellens,  and  are  considered  to 
rank  in  caste  above  all  the  mechanics  and  equal 
to  Mohammedans  and  Jews.  Their  villages  are 
often  lovely  spots,  generally  in  a  ravine  not  acces- 
sible to  elephants,  near  to  some  gushing  rivulet 
falling  over  rocks,  and  surrounded  by  gigantic 
trees  and  palms,  rarely  at  a  less  elevation  than 
2,000  or  3,000  feet  above  the  sea.  Many  of  their 
houses  are  good  substantial  erections  of  wood  and 
stone,  built  by  workmen  from  the  plains  and  after 
the  fashion  common  to  the  western  coast;  but  in 


292  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 

many  cases  they  prefer  temporary  huts  of  mud, 
bamboo,  and  grass  thatch,  as  the  survivors  often 
dislike  living  in  a  dwelling  in  which  the  head  of 
the  family  has  died.  The  whole  of  the  hill  coun- 
try is  owned  by  Brahmans  or  Zemindars,  who  re- 
ceive trifling  rents  from  the  Arrians  for  their  fruit- 
trees  and  cultivated  land;  and  besides  this,  each 
head  man  has  to  furnish  a  certain  quantity  of 
honey  for  the  rajah's  birthday,  dig  a  few  elephant 
pits,  and  help  with  bark  ropes  to  conduct  the  ani- 
mals when  entrapped  into  the  taming  cages. 
These  people  extend  from  Cape  Comorin  to  the 
borders  of  Travancore  in  the  north.  .  .  .  The 
Arrians  are,  many  of  them,  rich,  being  large  cul- 
tivators of  the  slopes,  which  they  clear  of  jungle 
in  the  dry  season,  sowing  during  the  rains.  Every 
man,  however,  has  to  watch  with  guns  during 
seed-time  and  harvest,  to  protect  the  crops  from 
elephants,  deer,  and  other  animals,  as  well  as 
from  swanns  of  birds. ' ' 

In  character  the  Arrians  seem  to  be  truthful 
and  generally  moral,  except  that,  like  too  many 
of  their  brethren  of  the  hills,  they  are  very  fond 
of  arrack.  Thus  drunken  brawls  are  not  un- 
frequent.  They  are  manly,  frank,  genial,  and 
free  in  manner,  and  are  well  made  and  athletic, 
the  women  often  being  fair  and  even  beautiful. 
Like  many  of  these  more  manly  races  they  are 


THE  HILL  ARRIANS  OF  TRAVANCORE.  293 

fond  of  the  chase,  and  make  fearless  hunters,  aim- 
ing generally  at  high  game,  such  as  the  tiger, 
wild  elephant,  and  wild  ox. 

There  is  one  remarkable  difference  between 
them  and  the  Malayalim  inhabitants  of  the  plain: 
the  children  in  a  natural  way  inherit  their  father's 
property.  It  does  not  go  away,  as  in  the  case  of 
Hindoo  succession,  to  the  children  of  their  father's 
sister.  The  wife  is  not  required  to  stand  behind, 
like  the  Hindoo,  while  her  lord  and  master  eats 
what  she  has  prepared  for  him,  and  then  make 
her  meal  of  what  he  chooses  to  leave  when  his 
appetite  is  appeased:  the  Arrian  wife  partakes 
along  with  her  husband,  eating  oflf  the  same  dish, 
namely,  a  shiny  plantain  leaf,  as  a  loving  couple 
ought  to  do.  Indeed,  this  is  a  sign  of  their  relation- 
ship, and  eating  together  is  part  of  the  wedding 
ceremonial.  The  marriage  tie  among  them  is 
indissoluble  and  considered  sacred,  and  the  hus- 
band has  only  one  wife.  The  Arrians  bury  their 
dead — not  burn  them — and  at  their  funerals  have 
some  curious  ceremonies,  which  are  repeated,  and 
offerings  made,  on  the  anniversary  of  the  death. 
All  their  religious  rites  are  connected  with  the  wor- 
ship of  the  spirits  of  their  dead.  Missions  were 
begun  among  this  interesting  people  a  good  many 
years  ago.  The  excellent  missionary  from  whose 
paper  I  have  quoted,  the  Rev.  H.  Baker,  was 


294 


SCEXES  IX  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


honored  to  commence  the  work,  and  his  account 
of  the  remarkable  way  in  which  he  was  led  in 
God's  providence  to  take  it  up,  as  well  as  the 
success  given  to  his  efforts,  is  so  striking  that  I 
think  I  cannot  do  better  than  give  it  in  his  words 
rather  than  my  own.  Mr.  Baker  was  then  a  mis- 
sionary at  Cottayam.    He  says: 

"I  had  often  heard  of  a  people  living  in  the 
hills  who  were  acknowledged  to  be  very  truth- 
ful and  chaste,  and  were  said  to  be  the  Mulla 
Nairs  and  as  ancient  as  the  hills  themselves. 
I  had  put  all  this  down  to  the  usual  style  of  In- 
dian conversation;  but  during  a  missionary  tour 
I  met  three  or  four  fine-looking  men,  different 
from  the  races  in  the  plains  both  in  the  contour 
of  their  faces  and  method  of  wearing  their  clothes. 
We  had  some  very  interesting  conversation  and 
they  stayed  the  night  at  the  tent.  They  left  ear- 
ly, and  I  did  not  expect  again  to  see  them,  as  we 
were  so  far  from  their  hills,  but  some  months 
after  my  little  daughter  ran  into  my  study  at 
Pullum  to  say  that  some  very  curious-looking 
men  were  come  to  see  me.  This  was  in  1848. 
There  were  five  men  from  as  many  different  hills 
begging  me  to  go  and  open  schools  among  them. 
They  had  a  Romo-Syrian  with  them  named  Kup- 
peer  Curien  as  guide,  a  man  who  then,  though 
well  acquainted  with  the  truth,  did  not  know  its 


THE  HILL  ARRIANS  OF  TRAVANCORE.  295 

power.  This  was  my  introduction  to  the  Arrians. 
Again  and  again  did  they  come  on  this  errand; 
but  I  hesitated  to  go  so  far,  as  I  had  several  new 
but  increasing  congregations,  some  hundred  chil- 
dren in  the  day-schools,  and  a  Preparandi  class  of 
young  men  of  whom  I  hoped  to  make  teachers. 
There  was  no  road  through  the  forty-five  miles  of 
jungle,  fever  was  prevalent,  and  coolies  difficult 
to  procure.  The  friends  I  consulted  said,  '  Possi- 
bly you  may  begin  the  work  and  may  compass 
something,  but  you  will  have  no  successor. '  Many 
thought  with  me  that  the  hill  men  were  seeking 
for  a  protector,  and  not  for  Christianity;  others, 
that  no  centre  of  operations  could  be  made  in 
the  hills,  the  population  being  scattered,  and 
that,  even  if  the  work  of  conversion  did  begin, 
the  results  produced  by  working  in  the  plains 
would  be  more  important  and  extensive  if  a 
movement  took  place.  But  the  heads  of  several 
villages  at  last  came  down  and  remonstrated  on 
account  of  my  delay.  'Five  times,'  said  they, 
'  have  we  been  to  call  you.  You  must  know  we 
know  nothing  right;  will  you  teach  us  or  not? 
We  die  like  beasts  and  are  buried  like  dogs; 
ought  you  to  neglect  us?'  'Cholera  and  fever,' 
said  another,  'carried  off  such  and  such  members 
of  my  family;  where  are  they  now?'  They 
stated  that  they  wanted  no  pecuniary  help,  as 


296  SCENES  IX  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 

they  had  plenty  of  rice.  They  wished  to  serve 
God  and  not  to  be  oppressed  by  any  one.  They 
offered  to  make  over  their  lands  a.s  a  proof  of 
sincerity,  and  waited  about,  determined  to  have 
me  in  their  hills;  so  I  promised  to  meet  them  the 
next  week  on  the  banks  of  a  river  about  thirty 
miles  distant,  whence  they  proposed  to  guide  me 
to  a  principal  village  and  have  an  assemblage  of 
their  people.  I  sent  some  men  a  day  or  two  be- 
fore I  started,  in  order  to  have  a  hut  erected  on 
the  banks  of  the  river,  as  it  would  be  necessa- 
ry to  halt  there  for  the  night.  On  arriving  there 
with  my  brother,  trusting  to  our  messengers,  we 
found  neither  Arrians,  hut,  nor  people  of  any 
kind,  but  a  dense  jungle  overhanging  the  stream, 
with  only  a  narrow  track  leading  down  to  the 
water  by  which  we  had  come.  Walking  in  the 
close  jungles,  with  a  hot  sun  overhead,  had  com- 
pletely knocked  us  up.  With  aching  heads  and 
perhaps  disappointed,  angr>'  feelings,  we  lay  down 
to  spend  the  night  on  boughs  strewed  on  the 
ground,  with  a  blanket  overhead  to  keep  off  the 
heavy  dews;  but  before  dark  some  Tamil  mer- 
chants who  had  crossed  the  mountains  came  to 
the  river,  and  seeing  us,  crossed  over  on  a  raft 
and  lent  us  a  little  blanket  tent  six  feet  square. 
We  were  thankful  for  this;  for  heavy  rain  soon 
came  on.    The  next  morning,  having  returned 


THE  HILL  ARRIAXS  OF  TRAVAXCORE.  297 

the  tent  to  the  owners,  who  would  take  no  com- 
pensation, we  crossed  the  stream,  now  much 
swollen  from  the  rain,  and  proceeding  along  an 
elephant  track  for  an  hour,  found  some  Arrians 
waiting  for  us:  they  had  not  gone  farther,  as  they 
still  doubted  whether  we  would  come.  On  enter- 
ing the  village  of  Combukuthie,  so  called  from 
the  hilltop  beneath  which  it  is  built  having  the 
appearance  of  a  fallen  elephant,  I  observed  some 
piles  of  wood  at  the  angles  of  a  small  level  piece 
of  ground.  I  inquired  what  they  were  for.  'Oh,' 
said  they,  '  this  is  where  we  meet  for  games,  set- 
tling marriages,  disputes,  etc.  We  are  to  have  a 
meeting  directly  it  is  known  you  are  come,  and 
the  piles  of  wood  are  to  give  the  assembly  light' 
Soon  I  heard  men  shouting  from  one  place  to  an- 
other, far  away  up  along  the  hillsides,  '  He  is  ar- 
rived. Come  all !'  Messages  are  thus  conveyed 
from  one  mountain  settlement  to  another  with 
great  rapidity.  By  nightfall  some  two  hundred 
men  and  lads,  the  representatives  of  eight  hun- 
dred or  nine  hundred,  had  assembled,  the  piles  of 
wood  were  lighted,  and  with  the  moon  also  to 
aid  we  held  our  conference.  I  told  them  I  had  at 
last  come  at  their  request,  and  it  was  to  tell  them 
a  message  I  was  intrusted  with;  that  some  cen- 
turies back  the  people  of  England  had  the  same 
rites  and  hero-worship  as  they  had;  that  the 


298  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 

Dniids  taught  the  Britons  just  such  ideas  as  their 
Pusaries  did;  but  that  at  last  a  Book  was  brought 
them  which  told  of  God — what  he  was,  how  pow- 
erful, yet  the  Father  of  his  trusting  children,  and 
that  he  had  sent  this  Book.  .  .  Further,  that  the 
God-fearing  people  of  England  had  sent  me  with 
this  Book  to  teach  the  same  glad  tidings.  They 
wished  to  see  the  Book;  I  showed  them  the  Ma- 
layalim  Testament  and  read  John  3,  Romans  i, 
and  other  passages;  I  said  it  was  faith  and  love  to 
God  which  made  men  happy  here  and  in  heaven. 
Numberless  simple  but  very  practical  questions 
were  asked  by  them,  not  in  a  cavilling  spirit,  like 
the  Brahmans  and  Vedantists  of  the  plains,  on 
the  atonement,  fall  of  man,  sin,  misery,  future 
punishment,  etc.  They  occasionally  talked  among 
themselves,  some  making  objections,  others  pro- 
posing a  trial  of  the  regulations  I  proposed,  and  a 
few  thought  the  rules  for  the  Sabbath  and  daily 
learning  too  severe.  .  .  Long  after  midnight  the 
head  man  of  the  village  said,  'We  have  talked 
enough ;  where  are  the  teachers  we  are  to  have  ?' 
I  said,  '  I  will  send  them;  but  we  must  ask  God's 
blessing  first;  he  must  help  or  our  counsels  will 
come  to  grief.'  All  knelt  by  the  blazing  piles, 
and  after  a  few  w-ords  of  prayer  for  help  we  dis- 
persed. The  strangers  slept  by  the  fires  wrapped 
up  in  their  blankets,  while  I  retired  to  the  hut 


THE  HILL  ARRIANS  OF  TRAVANCORE.  299 

usually  prepared  in  the  village  for  guests.  I  re- 
turned after  a  day  or  two  to  Pullum,  my  station 
in  the  low  country,  after  promising  to  send  them 
three  teachers  and  to  spend  a  fortnight  of  each 
alternate  month  with  them. ' ' 

Thus  mission  work  began  among  these  inter- 
esting, simple  people.  Difficulties  naturally  arose. 
Enemies  were  busy  and  the  arch-enemy  busiest 
of  all;  but  God  was  working  and  his  hand  could 
not  be  stayed.  When  Mr.  Baker  returned  to  his 
station  in  the  low  country  he  summoned  a  meet- 
ing of  his  catechists  and  Scripture-readers.  He 
told  them  of  the  opening  for  Christian  work 
among  the  hill  people  and  asked  for  volunteers 
for  the  service.  He  reminded  them  that  men 
from  Europe  had  come  ten  thousand  miles  to 
teach  them ;  would  they  not  go  some  forty  to 
teach  the  people  of  their  own  land  ?  The  result 
was  that  thirty-seven  out  of  the  forty  present 
offered  to  go,  and  finally  it  was  settled  that  three 
should  go  together,  exchanging  every  month  or 
two. 

This  arrangement  continued  in  force,  with 
more  or  less  satisfactory  results,  for  about  two 
years.  Trials  and  difficulties,  however,  were 
manifold  and  much  discouragement  had  to  be 
fought  against.  Some  of  the  men  were  faithful 
and  hard  working,  but  others  were  less  so,  and 


300  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


evils  crept  in  unawares.  False  brethren  there 
were  who  tried  to  fill  the  minds  of  the  people 
with  prejudice  against  the  missionaries,  telling 
them  also  that  they  would  lose  their  high  stand- 
ing in  their  tribe  by  becoming  Christians.  Then 
dismal  accounts  were  carried  to  the  plains  regard- 
ing the  hill  country,  where  fever  was  rife  and 
tigers  and  elephants  and  other  wild  beasts  filled 
the  jungles.  Several  times  JNIr.  Baker  and  his 
party  had  to  climb  into  trees  to  avoid  the  attacks 
of  wild  elephants.  Accidents  were  of  frequent 
occurrence,  both  from  the  wild  creatures  which 
abounded  and  from  the  sudden  rush  of  mountain 
torrents,  swollen  after  every  rain.  Once  a  Euro- 
pean gentleman  fell  into  one  of  the  pits,  eighteen 
feet  deep,  dug  for  the  capture  of  wild  elephants, 
and  though  not  killed  he  was  much  hurt.  Fever 
and  cholera  carried  off  their  victims,  for  these 
dread  diseases  always  lingered  about  the  jungles. 
Thus  they  were  in  "deaths  oft."  "Why  go  on 
attempting  this  work?"  exclaimed  some  who 
were  fearful  and  unbelieving;  and  a  Syrian  priest 
assured  Mr.  Baker's  coadjutors  that  the  bishop 
had  ordered  this  work  as  a  penance. 

But  the  power  of  Christ  rested  on  the  faithful 
missionary  and  his  little  band.  The  good  work 
could  not  be  hindered.  They  all  held  bravely 
on,  and  so  did  the  people  themselves.    They  had 


THE  HILL  ARRIAXS  OF  TRAVAXCORE.  3OI 

been  truthful  and  earnest  in  their  request  for 
Christian  teaching,  and  soon  they  showed  their 
sincerity  by  giving  up  many  superstitious  prac- 
tices, such  as  burning  lamps  beside  the  graves  of 
their  ancestors,  propitiating  demons,  and  so  on. 
They  even  became  less  addicted  to  arrack.  The 
children  were  sent  to  the  schools  which  had  been 
opened,  and  some  of  the  more  intelligent  young 
men  were  sent  down  to  the  plains  to  be  trained  as 
teachers  and  evangelists.  There  was  much  frank 
intercourse  between  them  and  the  missionaries, 
and  when  they  did  not  comprehend  any  part  of 
the  instruction  they  said  so  and  got  it  explained. 

In  a  little  over  two  years  upwards  of  three 
hundred  Arrians  had  been  instructed,  a  hundred 
and  twenty  of  whom  asked  for  baptism  and,  after 
sufficient  trial,  were  received  into  the  church.  A 
mission  church  and  bungalow  were  built  and  a 
small  Christian  settlement  planted,  strange  to 
say,  on  the  very  spot  on  the  river  bank  where 
Mr.  Baker  had  first  met  the  Tamil  merchants. 
The  forest  was  cleared,  huts  were  built — some  in 
trees,  to  avoid  the  risk  of  tigers  and  elephants — 
and  schools  were  opened  and  filled  with  pupils, 
male  and  female.  A  Christian  officer  from  Ma- 
dras came  to  give  help,  chiefly  in  the  way  of 
shooting  the  wild  animals.  An  unknown  lady 
in  England  gave  twenty  ix)unds  to  aid  the  funds, 


302  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 

and  Sir  Henry  Lawrence,  hearing  of  the  work, 
sent  a  hundred  and  fifty  rupees  from  Lucknow, 
with  the  message,  "By  all  means  go  on;  never 
mind  obstacles  nor  whence  they  come."  And  so 
the  Master,  whose  the  work  was,  blessed  and 
prospered  it.  It  has  been  carried  on  vigorously 
ever  since,  and  last  year  the  converts  among  the 
Hill  Arrians  amounted  to  2,000  souls. 


I 


cochin:  the  white  and  black  jews.  303 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

cochin:  the  white  and  black  jews. 

We  left  Cottayam  at  midnight  and  are  now 
scudding  along,  in  the  light  of  the  glorious  full 
moon,  through  the  shadows  which  lie  soft  and 
silent  on  the  still  waters  of  the  lagoon.  The 
moon  shines  so  bright  and  clear,  riding  up  yonder 
in  her  sweet,  pure  majesty,  that  I  am  writing  by 
her  light.  I  have  been  trying  to  read  too,  sitting 
on  our  old  perch  on  the  roof  of  our  tidy  little 
boat. 

Good-by,  beautiful  Cottayam !  I  suppose  we 
shall  never  see  it  again,  with  all  its  engrossing 
pleasures  and  interests,  physical  and  spiritual  and 
moral;  but  we  do  hope  to  meet  our  kind  friends 
again  by-and-by,  when  we  reach  the  Hills. 

The  tall  cocoa  palms  look  spectral  and  weird 
along  the  banks,  like  sentinels  calling  each  to  the 
other,  "Watchman,  what  of  the  night?"  The 
phosphorescent  light  is  exquisite.  It  breaks  into 
little  wavelets  of  fire  as  the  oars  strike  the  water, 
and  it  seems  to  vie  with  the  moonbeams  as  to 
which  will  make  the  most  brilliance.  The  men 
arc  so  noisy,  so  obstreperous  in  their  mirth,  that 


304  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 

I  am  afraid  there  is  little  use  in  our  attempting  to 
go  to  sleep ;  and  yet,  after  the  day's  work  and 
tension  and  strain,  sleep  is  desirable  and  the 
night  air  comes  sweet  and  cool  from  the  water 
through  the  open  windows  of  our  nice  little  cabin. 

Cochin. 

The  night  did  not  seem  long,  after  all,  and 
welcome  sleep  at  length  did  visit  our  aching  eyes. 
Soon  after  dawn  we  got  to  the  jetty  at  Cochin 
and  found  a  fine  old  Mussulman  peon,  with  Mr. 
Seely's  badge  on  his  scarlet  belt,  waiting  to  con- 
duct us  here.  And  lo !  he  speaks  Hindostani ! 
I  poured  out  a  stream  volubly  as  of  pent-up 
waters ;  we  had  felt  so  tongue  -  tied  with  these 
Malayalim  people.  But  the  man  either  liked  to 
air  his  English  or  his  Hindostani  was  not  an 
unlimited  quantity,  for  he  soon  relapsed  into  the 
gibberish  his  English  amounted  to. 

Mr.  Seely  is  the  director  of  public  instruction 
and  principal  of  the  Government  College,  and  he 
and  his  wife  are  the  embodiment  of  all  hospitality 
in  Cochin  and  their  house  the  centre  of  social 
amenities  generally.  We  found  a  novel  sort  of 
conveyance  awaiting  us,  something  like  a  Japan- 
ese jinriksha,  but  seated  for  two  and  pushed  in- 
stead of  pulled,  while  the  rider  steers  as  you  go 
along.  There  are  no  horse-garis  in  Cochin,  and 
this  machine,  I  believe,  was  an  importation  from 


cochin:  the  white  and  black  jews.  305 

Pondicherry.  We  soon  reached  the  house  and 
were  cordially  welcomed  by  Mrs.  Seely,  her  hus- 
band having  already  started  for  his  college.  This 
is  a  most  picturesque  old  house.  We  have  leaped 
from  the  Indian  bungalow-kind  of  abode  to  a 
Continental  dwelling.  I  immediately  peopled  it 
with  Albuquerques  and  Almeidas  and  Vasco  de 
Gamas,  and  I  believe  it  is  older  than  the  Dutch 
occupation  of  Cochin.  It  is  upper-storied,  with 
large  rooms  and  small  side  ones  going  off  at  every 
corner  and  quaint  little  narrow  stone  courts  and 
balconies,  filled  by  the  tasteful  hand  of  its  mis- 
tress with  lovely  flowers  and  crotons  and  ever- 
greens and  clambered  over  with  creepers.  The 
drawing-rooms  are  filled  with  curious  and  inter- 
esting things,  and  the  whole  house  is  a  kind  of 
museum,  not  the  least  curious  and  engrossing 
being  the  memories  which  you  feel  are  piled  up 
everywhere.  The  house  opposite  looks  like  a 
little  fort,  with  flying  buttresses  and  ever  so  many 
queer  little  Dutch  roofs  and  a  dead  blue  wall  all 
round.  The  only  drawback  is  the  heat,  which  is 
worse  than  ever.  The  climate  here  is  always 
moist  and  warm,  somewhat  like  that  of  Bombay, 
but  more  trying,  and  it  differs  little  all  the  year 
round. 

Cochin  is  a  semi-independent  State,  like  Trav- 
ancore.    It  has  gone  through  many  vicissitudes 
20 


3o6  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 

in  its  stormy  history  and  has  had  many  masters, 
the  Portuguese,  Dutch,  Hyder  Ali,  Tippoo-Sul- 
tan,  and  the  British — all  having  conquered  it  in 
turn.  The  present  rajah  is  of  higher  caste,  I  be- 
lieve, than  the  Travancore  royal  family,  but  he 
is  by  no  means  so  enlightened  as  his  brother  of 
Travancore.  He  is  a  thorough  native  in  every 
sense  and  knows  not  a  word  of  English.  We 
have  seen  his  palace,  but  not  himself.  The  El- 
liah-Rajah,  or  heir-apparent,  however,  seems  a 
more  enlightened  character.  Cochin  is  a  large 
place,  with  some  good  buildings,  chiefly  Dutch, 
that  people  having  done  much  for  it.  It  is  full 
of  quaintness,  very  un-English,  and  also  very  un- 
Indian,  except  for  that  one  thing,  the  heat.  It  is 
notable  as  having  been  one  of  the  first  places  in 
the  country  ever  visited  by  Europeans.  Indeed, 
there  are  many  things  in  its  past  which  make  it 
an  extremely  interesting  place  to  visit-  Tradi- 
tion says  that  the  apostle  Thomas  arrived  here 
about  A.  D.  50  and  began  his  labors  from  this 
place.  Then  there  are  the  Jews,  of  whom  I  shall 
speak  presently,  round  whose  history  so  great  an 
interest  always  gathers.  This  remarkable  colony 
settled  here,  it  is  generally  said,  in  the  first  cen- 
tury, but  some  of  the  people  themselves  claim  a 
much  earlier  date. 

The  English  built  their  first  factory  here  in 


cochin:  the  white  and  black  jews.  307 

1660,  thouo:h  the  State  was  not  finally  ceded  to 
them  till  1814.  I  think  this  was  the  date.  The 
place  now  seems  prosperous  and  to  possess  a  lively 
trade,  chiefly  in  the  products  of  the  wonderful 
cocoa  palm,  which  forms  the  riches  of  this  coast. 
There  are  other  articles  of  export,  such  as  rice, 
betel-leaf,  and  the  nut  of  the  areca  palm,  spices, 
also  coffee  and  timber;  but  most  of  the  trade  and 
industry'  are  connected  with  the  cocoanut,  for 
there  seems  to  be  no  end  to  the  economic  uses  to 
which  it  can  be  put.  There  is  a  large  trade  in 
cocoanut  oil,  and  the  coir  matting  one  hears  about 
so  much  is  made  from  the  fibre.  Indeed  the  fibre 
of  the  nut  is  most  valuable,  and  the  preparation 
of  it  to  send  to  England  and  to  the  places  where 
it  is  manufactured  into  matting  and  other  articles 
forms  one  of  the  most  important  industries  of  the 
coast.  There  is  a  very  fine,  large  harbor,  in 
which  we  saw  several  European  vessels  lying  and 
an  immense  crowd  of  curious  native  craft  of  every 
size  and  sort.  Then  there  is  water  communica- 
tion by  means  of  the  Backwater  almost  to  any 
extent,  though  as  yet  there  is  no  railway. 

Soon  after  our  arrival  the  Rev.  Mr.  Wright 
called  and  took  my  husband  to  see  some  schools 
and  mission  work.  Mrs.  Seely  authoritatively 
sent  me  to  bed  instead  of  accompanying  the  gen- 
tlemen; but  this  was  made  up  for  afterwards  by  a 


3o8  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA.  ' 

visit  to  the  grand  old  Cathedral,  the  oldest  Chris- 
tian church  in  India.  It  was  built  by  the  Portu- 
guese, then  turned  into  a  Protestant  place  of  wor- 
ship by  the  Dutch,  and  it  is  now  used  by  the  Brit- 
ish, having  been  renovated  and  modernized.  But 
the  original  old  walls  remain,  strong,  massive, 
and  buttressed,  and  there  are  still  several  old 
tombstones  on  the  flags  inside.  On  one  of  these 
the  words  "de  Gama"  are  quite  legible,  but 
whether  this  is  the  veritable  tomb  of  the  great 
Vasco  de  Gama  I  cannot  tell.  He  is  said  to  have 
been  buried  here,  though  the  remains  were  after- 
wards removed  to  Goa.  It  is  wonderful  that  the 
inscriptions  are  not  more  defaced  than  they  are. 
My  husband  made  out  several.  There  are  a  good 
many  Roman-catholic  churches  in  and  about 
Cochin,  The  East  Indians  are  mostly  of  this 
faith,  probably  because  the  Indo-Portuguese  ele- 
ment is  strong  in  the  population,  and  also  because 
Francis  Xavier  visited  this  part  and  made  many 
converts.  Mrs.  Seely  told  me  that  the  first  book 
ever  printed  in  India  was  published  in  Cochin  by 
the  Roman-catholics. 

We  also  visited  the  fort,  which  we  were  curi- 
ous to  see,  it  being  the  very  first  fortress  erected 
by  Europeans  in  this  country.  This  was,  of 
course,  by  the  Portuguese.  It  was  commenced 
by  the  renowned  Albuquerque,  and  completed  by 


cochin:  the  white  and  black  jews.  309 

others  of  those  able  commanders  who  sought  to 
bring  India  under  the  sway  of  Portugal.  The 
numerous  and  magnificent  ruins  of  forts,  churches, 
and  monasteries  which  are  to  be  found  on  the 
western  coast,  at  Bassein  and  other  places,  testify- 
to  the  valor  and  enterprise  of  these  old  warriors. 
But  the  Cochin  fortress  as  it  is  now  is  of  differ- 
ent dates.  Not  much  of  the  original  structure 
remains,  as  it  has  been  renovated  or  rebuilt  by 
the  victorious  powers  who  succeeded  the  Portu- 
guese. 

The  interest  of  our  visit,  however,  culminated 
one  evening  when  we  went  among  the  Jews  and 
visited  both  the  colonies  of  this  interesting  peo- 
ple. After  lunch,  when  it  became  cool  enough, 
we  started  in  the  funny  little  jinrikshas,  descrip- 
tively called  "push-push."  Mr.  Wright  took  me 
in  his,  while  Mrs.  Seely  accommodated  my  hus- 
band. We  went  through  the  long  streets  of  the 
native  town,  which  I  cannot  say  were  either  clean 
or  pleasantly  odorous,  but  they  were  full  of  the 
usual  picturesqueness  of  Eastern  bazars.  The 
shops  were  quaint  and  curious  and  the  population 
varied.  A  good  many  Mussulmans  were  to  be 
seen  chiefly  in  the  shops  squatted  among  their 
wares,  many  of  which  we  recognized  as  old  friends, 
having  evidently  come  from  Bombay.  By-and-by 
the  character  of  the  population  began  to  change. 


3IO  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 

The  features,  costumes,  complexion,  everj'thiiig 
annouuced  that  we  had  got  to  the  quarter  inhab- 
ited by  the  Jews.  We  alighted  before  the  syna- 
gogue and  were  received  in  a  most  friendly  way 
hy  several  men  who  gathered  round,  while  a  small 
crowd  collected  to  gaze  at  the  strangers. 

This  Jewish  settlement,  consisting  of  white 
Jews  and  black  Jews,  has  existed,  as  I  have  said, 
for  long  ages  in  Cochin,  and  has  always  kept  aloof 
from  the  heathen  around.  The  black  Jews  some- 
what resemble  the  Beni-Israel  of  Bombay.  The 
two  colonies  live  in  quite  separate  quarters,  though 
these  are  near  each  other.  They  have  different 
synagogues  and  do  not  worship  together,  but  they 
do  occasionally  intermarry.  If  a  white  Jew  mar- 
ries a  black  Jewess  the  children  are  reckoned  as 
belonging  to  the  black  community.  It  has  some- 
times been  imagined  that  the  climate  has  wrought 
the  change  of  complexion;  but  the  truth  is  that 
the  black  Jews  have  by  no  means  unmixed  Jew- 
ish blood.  They  are  descended  chiefly  from  native 
proselytes.  Still,  the  Jewish  features  are  suffi- 
ciently marked  to  prove  that  they  are  of  God's 
ancient  people.  The  little  Josephs  and  Rachels 
and  Reubens  who  came  crowding:  round,  gazing 
at  us  with  their  glorious  black  eyes  ver>'  wide 
open,  could  certainly  trace  their  lineage  up  to 
their  father  Abraham.    And  some  of  the  so-called 


cochin:  the  white  and  black  jews.  311 

black  Jews  had  wonderfully  fair  countenances  and 
fair  complexions.  The  black  colony  are  much 
more  numerous  than  the  white.  They  told  us 
that  the  latter  only  numbered  fifty  families,  while 
there  are  two  hundred  and  fifty  of  the  former. 
There  do  not  seem  to  be  many  wealthy  men  among 
either  people.  For  once  the  Jew  is  poor.  But 
they  do  a  fair  amount  of  trade,  and  they  may  be 
richer  than  they  seem.  Some  of  the  women  I 
saw  were  much  ornamented  with  jewelry;  they 
had  some  fine  precious  stones  glittering  on  their 
breasts  and  foreheads. 

We  spent  some  time  in  the  synagogue,  a  build- 
ing quite  disappointingly  modern — not  at  all  old — 
with  tiled  floor  and  a  good  deal  of  color,  blue  pre- 
dominating. Crowds  of  men  entered  and  were 
very  friendly,  talking  frankly  with  the  gentlemen 
about  themselves  and  their  history.  They  affirmed 
that  their  ancestors  had  settled  in  Cochin  after 
the  destruction  of  the  temple  by  Nebuchadnez- 
zar. Of  this,  however,  I  do  not  know  that  there 
is  any  proof.  Some  of  them  speak  Hebrew  fairly 
well,  and  my  husband  talked  with  them  in  this 
old  tongue.  He  was  very  anxious  to  see  any  an- 
cient manuscripts  they  might  have,  but  they 
declared  they  had  none.  If  they  had  they  did 
not  care,  for  some  reason,  to  show  them.  They 
said  those  they  possessed  were  buried,  and  actu- 


312  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 

ally  showed  the  place  where  the  manuscripts  were 
entombed  !  They  brought  out  some  rolls  of  the 
Law  iu  Hebrew,  which  they  now  read  in  the 
synagogue;  but  Dr.  INIitchell  said  they  were  not 
old.  They  showed  us  also  some  most  interesting 
copper-plates,  which  they  permitted  us  to  handle 
and  examine  freely.  Two  are  engraven  on  both 
sides  with  a  kind  of  record  of  their  past  histor}-, 
the  language  being  an  old  form  of  jNIalayalim. 
The  third  plate  seemed  a  cover  for  the  other  two. 
There  is  no  resident  rabbi,  and  I  am  afraid  there 
is  little  education  among  either  of  the  bodies,  the 
black  or  the  white  Jews. 

Ver>'  little  mission  work  has  been  undertaken 
in  their  behalf.  The  Established  Church  of  Scot- 
land sent  out  a  missionary  to  labor  among  them 
in  1844;  but  the  work  was  soon  discontinued  and 
has  not  been  resumed. 

While  we  were  in  the  synagogue  a  poor  old 
Jew,  all  the  way  from  Jerusalem,  came  in  and 
asked  an  alms.  We  find  that  Jews  do  still  come 
here  from  other  places  and  settle  among  their  peo- 
ple. Is  it  not  curious  that  this  remnant  should 
be  found  in  this  far  comer  of  the  earth  and  so 
strangely  preserved  through  the  centuries  ?  When 
the  day  of  the  great  ingathering  comes  when  many 
nations  shall  say,  "  Come  and  let  us  go  up  to  the 
mountain  of  the  Lord  and  to  the  house  of  the  God 


COCHIN:  THE  WHITE  AND  BLACK  JEWS.  313 

of  Jacob,"  let  us  hope  and  pray  that  these  poor 
people  may  not  be  left  out !  I  told  them  I  hoped 
they  would  be  of  the  tribes  who  would  yet  go  up 
to  Jerusalem  to  the  new  "testimony  of  Israel," 
when  the  law  shall  again  go  forth  out  of  Zion  and 
the  word  of  the  Lord  from  Jerusalem.  The  poor 
old  pilgrim  who  came  begging  touched  me  much. 
He  made  a  most  pathetic  picture,  his  bent  figure 
leaning,  like  Jacob,  on  the  top  of  his  staff.  He 
wore  a  long  Eastern  robe,  in  stripes  of  bright  col- 
ors, but  much  tattered  and  torn,  a  stiff  black  cap 
sat  on  the  top  of  his  white  locks,  and  his  long 
white  beard  flowed  down  to  his  girdle.  His  pale, 
refined,  and  wasted  features  spoke  of  the  iitter- 
most  dejection.  He  looked  as  if  he  had  stepped 
forth  from  a  group  of  those  who  sat  by  the  rivers 
of  Babylon  and  wept  when  they  remembered 
Zion — as  if  he  had  "  hanged  his  harp  on  the  wil- 
lows "  for  evermore.  Poor  old  man !  he  seemed 
touched  by  our  sympathy  and  much  pleased  when 
my  husband  spoke  to  him  in  Hebrew. 

Some  of  the  men  had  very  courteously  invited 
me  to  go  to  their  houses  and  see  their  wives ;  so 
when  the  gentlemen  went  on  with  a  company  to 
carry  their  investigations  into  the  quarter  inhab- 
ited by  the  black  Jews,  Mrs.  Scely  and  I  entered 
some  of  the  houses  and  had  some  interesting  visits 
among  the  women.  They  seemed  quite  delighted 


314  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


to  see  us  and  crowded  eagerly  round.  The  better 
classes  are  pleasant  in  manner,  have  good  features, 
rich  olive  complexions,  and  some  of  them  are 
nicely  dressed,  after  their  own  Eastern  fashion,  in 
gay  colors,  with  plenty  of  ornaments.  One  or  two 
spoke  Hindostanie,  so  that  I  could  converse  with 
them,  and  these  interpreted  for  the  others.  Their 
language  is  Malayalim;  the  women  know  no  He- 
brew. They  took  me  to  a  large,  good  house, 
where  a  marriage  had  been  celebrated,  and  pre- 
sented me  to  the  bride,  a  fair,  bright,  very  young 
girl,  much  bedizened  with  gold  and  apparel,  and 
looking  modest,  as  was  fitting.  A  great  deal  of 
noisy  music  was  going  on  and  evidently  much 
feasting. 

Mr.  Seely  now  joined  us,  and  as  it  was  begin- 
ning to  get  dark  and  we  had  a  good  way  to  go, 
we  were  obliged  to  take  leave  of  the  interesting 
people. 

Mr.  Wright  and  I  shot  ahead  of  the  others, 
and,  at  the  risk  of  being  benighted,  he  yielded  to 
my  entreaties  to  be  taken  home  through  the  great 
palm  forest,  which  is  thickly  populated.  There 
were  quantities  of  huts  and  little  homesteads,  out- 
side which  the  people  sat  in  groups.  At  one  part 
of  the  grove  we  passed  through  a  broad  street  or 
road  where  only  Namburi  Brahmans  live.  How 
they  permitted  us,  the  impure,  to  pass  through  I 


cochin:  the  white  and  black  jews.  315 

do  not  know;  but  perhaps  they  did  not  detect  us 
iu  the  gathering  gloom,  heightened  by  the  dense 
masses  of  foliage  overhead.  There  are  many  of 
these  sacred  personages,  the  Namburis,  in  Cochin; 
indeed,  this  seems  to  be  their  headquarters,  and 
caste  is  as  strong  and  overbearing  as  it  is  iu  Trav- 
ancore.  We  passed  a  small  temple  brilliantly 
lighted  up,  but  we  were  not  allowed  to  enter  or 
even  look  into  the  outer  inclosure,  far  less  into  the 
temple  itself. 

I  enjoyed  my  homeward  drive  in  the  cool 
night  air  exceedingly,  and  though  our  friends 
thought  we  were  lost,  we  were  quite  in  time  for 
dinner,  at  which  we  met  some  pleasant  people, 
pleasantest  of  all  being  our  intellectual,  cultured 
host  and  hostess. 

Next  morning  some  of  the  gentlemen  who  had 
dined  with  us  escorted  my  husband  to  some  of  the 
factories  and  "  godowns,"  or  cellars,  where  he  saw 
the  cocoanut  fibre  process  and  also  the  dr>-ing  and 
cleaning  of  the  coffee.  I  have  to  own  that  the 
heat  has  at  length  fairly  conquered  me,  as  now  it 
begins  to  make  life  a  burden.  After  breakfast, 
while  I  packed  and  arranged  for  starting.  Dr. 
Mitchell  accompanied  Mr.  Seely  across  the  bay 
to  a  place  with  a  most  classic-sounding  name, 
Ernaculum,  where  the  college  is.  Here  he  spent 
a  most  delightful  morning  among  the  lads  in  airy 


3l6  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 

Upper  class-rooms,  talked  and  examined,  and 
finally  addressed  the  pupils.  He  then  was  rowed 
back,  and  by  five  o'clock  we  had  started  once 
more.  I  forgot  to  say  that  we  have  seen  a  talipot 
palm  in  full  blossom,  which  is  a  rare  sight.  It 
blossoms  and  then,  alas,  dies. 


TRICHOOR. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

TRICHOOR. 

MARCH  8. 

WK  are  now  embarked  for  tlic  last  time  on  the 
beautiful  Backwater.  To-morrow  morning  we 
hope  to  reach  Trichoor,  thence  a  night's  travel 
in  our  old  acquaintance,  a  bullock -ghari,  will 
bring  us  once  more  to  the  railway  at  Shoranoor. 
From  this  point  the  country  is  intersected  by  the 
iron  road  on  to  Madras. 

We  have  about  fifty  miles  of  water  to  traverse 
before  the  sun  becomes  fierce  in  the  heavens  to- 
morrow, but  we  have  twelve  fresh,  hearty,  stal- 
wart men,  besides  their  steersman,  or  skipper,  a 
broad-shouldered,  intensely  black,  cheery  man, 
who  keeps  the  oarsmen  to  their  work,  and  they 
do  pull  with  a  will. 

The  scenery  on  the  banks  is  much  as  before, 
only  just  at  Cochin  the  water  widens  into  a  grand 
lake-like  expanse,  as  there  the  Backwater  unites 
with  the  sea.  The  harbor  is  a  fine  sight,  with  its 
ships  and  curious  craft,  also  its  environment  of 
buildings,  some  of  them  handsome,  including  one 
of  the  rajah's  palaces  and  his  public  offices.  The 


3l8  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 

college  and  town  at  Ernaculum  also  lie  over  the 
water,  with  picturesque  native  villages  nestling 
amid  the  palm  groves  and  by  the  mangrove 
swamps.  It  is  curious  to  see  the  gnarled  roots 
arching  themselves  in  the  shallows,  which  are 
crowded  with  tall-necked  cranes  sitting  in  con- 
templation on  the  stems  or  stalking  about  with 
philosophic  deliberation,  picking  up  the  poor  lit- 
tle frogs  and  fishes  and  depositing  them  in  their 
pouches  as  a  reserve  larder  for  their  supper. 

The  country  is  a  great  flat,  now  and  then 
transformed  into  a  series  of  islets  green  and  palm- 
crowned,  or  long  strips  of  margin  with  small 
homesteads,  and  occasionally  a  little  Christian 
church,  generally  Roman-catholic,  or  it  may  be 
Syrian.  They  look  pretty  among  the  trees;  and 
what  a  cheering  sight  it  is  to  look  upon  that  cross 
pointing  heavenward  !  You  cannot  see  it  here  at 
least  without  feeling  that  your  soul  rises  with  it  on 
the  wings  of  hope  and  faith.  And  one  needs  to  rise 
above  the  present,  for  there  are  temples  and  de- 
mon shrines  among  the  trees  as  well  as  churches, 
and  Namburi  Brahmans  by  the  hundred  occupy 
these  little  settlements. 

The  Namburis  are  often  rich  and  considerable 
land-owners,  and  of  course  are  all-powerful.  A 
gentleman  told  me,  but  I  do  not  vouch  for  the 
truth  of  it,  that  the  land-owners  of  Malabar  often 


TRICHOOR.  319 

are  known  by  the  names  of  their  properties,  as  in 
the  North  of  Scotland. 

The  princesses  of  the  Cochin  royal  family  may 
marry  only  persons  of  this  high  caste;  and  it  is  a 
curious  fact  that  the  Brahman  who  is  chosen  to 
be  the  husband  of  a  princess  either  by  herself  or 
her  family  must  have  his  funeral  ceremony  per- 
formed before  his  marriage  ceremony  is  proceeded 
with!  The  meaning  of  it  is  that  henceforward  he 
is  counted  as  dead  to  his  caste.  The  Namburis  are 
so  much  higher  and  more  sacred  than  any  other 
people  on  earth  that  this  is  the  law  and  custom, 
and  he  submits.  The  honor  of  alliance  with  roy- 
alty thus  involves  in  Cochin  descent  in  rank  and 
social  degradation. 

Christians  are  numerous  in  the  Cochin  State, 
Counting  Roman-catholics  and  those  of  all  church- 
es, they  are  said  to  be  somewhere  over  twenty  per 
cent,  of  the  whole  population. 

It  is  by  no  means  a  peaceful  afternoon.  Black 
clouds  gather  in  heavy  masses  overhead,  sheet 
lightning  plays  incessantly  all  over  the  heavens, 
the  wind  soughs  and  wails  in  the  palm-tops;  the 
water  is  rough  as  we  meet  some  white-crested 
waves  coming  over  the  barrier  from  the  troubled 
sea  without.  I  dare  say  a  storm  is  coming  up 
which  will  cool  the  air.  Meanwhile  it  is  bleak 
and  almost  chill  as  the  darkness  falls. 


320  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 

We  have  now  had  dinner  and  the  moon  be- 
gins to  show  her  silvery,  lightsome  self  above  the 
dense  woods,  scattering  the  inky  clouds,  and  all 
things  look  more  cheery.  Our  energetic  crew 
took  us  to  the  bank  with  a  few  strokes  of  their 
oars ;  they  landed,  moored  the  boat,  produced 
their  well-burnished  brass  vessels,  soon  made  a 
blaze  with  some  of  the  dry  sticks  about  and 
cooked  their  evening  meal,  for  which  they  had 
worked  bravely  and  well.  Happily  all  were  of 
one  caste,  so  they  fed  together,  and  we  were  so 
amused  watching  their  proceedings  as  they  sat 
round  their  fire  that  we  let  poor  Joseph's  delicious 
curry  get  cold,  to  his  great  discomfiture. 

The  evening  is  now  serene  and  sweet,  and  the 
scene  is  beautiful  on  the  banks,  where  everything 
that  loves  moisture  and  warmth  seems  to  flourish 
wantonly.  We  lay  long  on  the  boat-roof  watch- 
ing the  silent,  peaceful  scene,  and  then  I  retired 
"behind  purdah''''  to  the  tiny  cabin.  Unfor- 
tunately the  little  lantern  had  been  forgotten  at 
Cochin,  and  the  moon  was  not  enough  to  scare 
nocturnal  visitors.  I  soon  saw  by  her  light  that 
I  shared  the  cabin  with  at  least  one  rat,  a  numer- 
ous family  of  cockroaches,  and  plenty  of  mosqui- 
toes. I  did  not  sleep  much,  therefore,  and  was 
beginning  to  think  of  a  cup  of  tea  from  the  spirit 
lamp  as  the  dawn  grew  pink  in  the  sky,  when  we 


TRICHOOR. 


321 


Stopped.  Why  ?  I  inquired.  For  the  simple  rea- 
son that  we  had  arrived.  Our  good  men  had  done 
the  fifty  miles  in  thirteen  hours.  On  the  landing 
we  perceived  a  bullock-bandy  waiting,  and  soon 
after  found  ourselves  in  another  pleasant  mission- 
house  heartily  welcomed  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bishop, 
of  the  Church  Missionary  Society  in  Trichoor. 

This  is  a  large  place,  very  old,  and  of  historic 
interest.  Moreover,  it  is  important  as  the  head  of 
the  Backwater,  and  thus  the  key  of  communica- 
tion between  the  outer  world  and  Cochin  and 
Travancore.  I  am  afraid  it  has  also  another  sort 
of  preeminence  in  being  one  of  the  most  bigoted 
and  evil  of  cities.  All  these  cities  seem  to  be  big- 
oted enough,  but  in  Trichoor  you  find  the  crhne  de 
la  crhne  of  Brahraanism.  So  we  are  told  on  every 
hand. 

Caste  is  intensely  and  exceptionally  strong, 
and,  as  elsewhere,  stands  in  the  way  of  all  prog- 
ress. The  degradation  of  the  lower  castes,  conse- 
quent on  the  absurd  and  oppressive  laws  of  caste, 
is  terrible  here  and  hardly  to  be  believed.  For 
example,  no  native  Christian,  however  educated 
and  intelligent,  nor  any  person  of  low  caste,  can 
obtain  employment  in  a  public  office,  for  fear  of 
polluting  those  officials  who  may  be  of  higher 
caste !  Then  the  school  difficulties  are  endless. 
The  children  of  some  of  the  inferior  castes  dare 


Bri-neti  In  Soulliurti  Irulla. 


21 


322 


SCKNKS  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


not  even  approach  a  school  where  higher  lads  are 
taught.  The  disabilities  are  inconceivable,  and 
so  are  the  injustice  and  inequality  of  the  laws. 
Women  too  are  degraded  to  a  degree  you  hardly 
find  equalled  in  these  days  of  reform  in  any  other 
part  of  India.  It  is  terrible  to  look  at  some  of  the 
poor  miserable-looking  creatures,  with  hardly  any 
clothing  and  no  sense  even  of  decency. 

The  whole  of  this  State  is  one  of  the  great 
strongholds  of  idolatry  and  Brahmanism,  where 
Satan  still  holds  his  seat.  But,  happily,  missions 
and  mission-schools  are  beginning  to  tell.  The 
work  is  going  on,  accompanied  by  fervent,  believ- 
ing prayer;  and  we  may  hope  to  see  here,  as  else- 
where, that  prayer  will  prevail,  that  the  prison- 
doors  will  be  opened  and  the  captives  of  this  ter- 
rible system  go  free.  If  the  women  could  only  be 
got  at  and  elevated  there  would  be  more  hope  of 
speedy  emancipation;  but  ancestral  superstitions 
and  ctistoms  still  have  a  strong  hold  on  the  peo- 
ple. 

Namburi  women  are  very  much  secluded  and 
guarded  with  the  most  jealous  care.  Even  sisters 
and  brothers  are  separated  early.  I  suppose  there 
is  not  a  single  Brahman  woman  of  this  particular 
caste  as  yet  under  instruction  of  any  sort. 

Two  zenana  missionaries,  the  Misses  Coleman, 
are  working  here  side  by  side  with  Mrs.  Bishop, 


TRICIIOOR 


whose  name  has  long  been  known  as  a  successful 
promoter  of  female  education.  In  speaking  of 
day-schools  for  Hindoo  girls  in  this  region  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Richards  says,  "To  Mrs.  Bishop  is  due 
the  credit  of  having  established  the  first  of  these." 
She  has  a  boarding-school  also,  and  altogether 
there  seems  much  life  in  this  mission.  Every  one 
was  stirring  when  we  arrived,  for  morning  is  a 
busy  time  in  a  mission -house.  School  work 
among  boys  and  girls  was  going  on.  At  eight  a 
service  was  held  in  the  church,  a  handsome  build- 
ing, which  stands  within  the  walls  of  the  exten- 
sive compound.  An  hour  with  pundits  followed, 
for  the  ladies  are  busv  with  the  native  langua<re. 
Afterwards  I  was  amused  to  see  the  elder  Miss 
Coleman,  who  is  a  homoeopathic  doctor,  enter 
with  a  great  trayful  of  tiny  bottles  of  globules  and 
tinctures.  She  had  been  busy  with  her  patients, 
who  this  week  have  already  numbered  600.  Some 
of  them  come  great  distances  to  be  treated,  and 
her  art  is  already  gaining  for  her  an  entrance  and 
influence  among  the  people.  She  and  her  sister 
have  been  here  only  for  a  few  months.  Mr.  Bish- 
op has  procured  a  site  whereon  they  are  building 
a  school,  which  we  visited  later;  and  a  bungalow 
for  themselves  they  hope  also  to  accomplish  in 
lime. 

But  it  is  always  the  same  stor>'.     Here,  as 


324  SCKXKS  IX  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 

e\'cry\v]iere,  the  mission  is  cramped  for  want  of 
funds.  IMuch  might  be  done  if  there  were  only 
money  wherewith  to  do  it.  This  is  the  cv}'  every- 
where, which  is  very  sad  to  hear  when  there  is  so 
much  money  in  our  Christian  country,  abundance 
to  spend  on  everything  under  the  sun  except  on 
the  rescue  of  these  perishing  ones !  What  is  an 
isolated  mission  like  this  to  do,  for  example,  where 
there  are  so  few  Europeans  to  help,  unless  it  is 
helped  largely  and  liberally  from  home  ?  Surely 
the  spirit  of  philanthropy,  not  to  speak  of  anything 
higher,  might  come  in  to  stir  men's  minds  in  re- 
gard to  what  might  be  done  to  raise  and  civilize 
and  Christianize  these  poor  people. 

What,  for  example,  can  one  missionary  family 
accomplish  in  a  place  like  Trichoor  to  stem  this 
torrent  of  idolatry  and  superstition  which  has 
gathered  such  fearful  force  during  the  ages?  I 
am  persuaded  that  my  countrymen  are  only  ignor- 
ant of  facts  when  they  speak  of  missions  as  they 
do  and  are  so  careless  regarding  them. 

I  am  reminded  of  a  conversation  I  had  not 
long  ago,  in  a  large  city  in  India,  with  a  gentle- 
man of  high  position  who  was  pleased  to  call 
upon  us.  My  husband  was  out,  and  the  gentle- 
man told  me  he  had  heard  him  preach  the  niglit 
before  and  wanted  to  thank  him,  "for  he  had 
opened  his  eyes  a  little." 


TRICHOOR. 


"I  have  always  understood,"  he  said,  "that 
missions  are  an  acknowledged  failure.  From  Dr. 
Mitchell's  facts,  however,  I  think  I  must  be 
wrong.    I  wanted  to  ask  him  about  it." 

I  did  my  best  to  give  him  the  information  I 
saw  he  lacked,  and  then  I  asked  him  if  he  had 
seen  none  of  the  mission  work  going  on  so  exten- 
sively in  this  very  city.  No,  he  had  not  heard  of 
it.  I  named  several  well-known,  able  mission- 
aries having  schools  and  colleges  and  native 
Christian  congregations.  Had  he  seen  none  of 
them  ?  We  had  seen  them,  though  only  staying 
a  few  days  in  the  place.  Did  he  know  none  of 
these  men?  He  thought  he  had  heard  of  them, 
but  the  truth  was  he  had  accepted  the  conclu- 
sion that  missions  had  failed  and  so  gave  himself 
no  further  trouble  on  the  subject.  He  had  seen 
nothing,  knew  nothing,  had  not  cared  to  inquire, 
and  yet  he  quietly  pronounced  the  judgment, 
"  Missions  are  a  failure."  Did  he  know  that  but 
for  these  despised  missions  multitudes  of  men  who 
are  now  good  Christian  citizens  would  be  heathen 
still  ?  He  took  leave  of  me  with  the  utmost  kind- 
ness, and  is  now  one  of  the  best  friends  and  most 
liberal  supporters  missions  have. 

A  lady  in  Ireland  said  to  a  friend  of  mine  the 
other  day,  "Do  not  believe  a  word  of  all  this  about 
zenanas.    It  is  all  humbug."    And  I  found  that 


326  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 

this  person,  although  for  years  in  India,  had  never 
once  set  foot  within  the  walls  of  the  zenanas,  nor 
had  seen  anything  of  the  dreary  lives  which  are 
lived  in  them  nor  the  work  our  zenana  mission- 
aries seek  to  do;  and  yet  she  dared  so  to  pronounce 
upon  it!  The  piteous  cry  of  India's  down-trodden 
women  had  clearly  reached  neither  the  ear  nor 
the  heart  of  this  daughter  of  favored  Christian 
Britain. 

If  my  countrymen  and  countr>'Women  while  in 
India  would  only  look  with  more  interest  and  sym- 
pathy into  the  condition  of  the  poor  people  among 
whom  their  lot  is  cast  for  the  time;  if  they  would 
seek  out  the  missionaries,  who  may  be  too  busy 
to  seek  them  out,  and  enter  somewhat  into  their 
work,  taking  an  intelligent.  Christian,  or  even 
philanthropic  interest  in  it,  I  venture  to  promise 
that  the  benefit  and  pleasure  would  tell  in  two 
ways.  In  blessing  they  themselves  would  be 
blessed.  India  would  no  longer  look  like  a  place 
of  exile  to  them,  and  they  would  cease  to  long  for 
the  moment  when  they  might  quit  its  shores.  If 
they  shared  in  the  sowing,  they  would  also  share 
in  the  joy  of  reaping. 

I  once  knew  a  gentleman  who  hated  the  na- 
tives, spoke  of  them  as  "niggers,"  and  judged  the 
whole  nation  by  a  rascally  "boy"  he  had  had  in 
his  service.    He  was  induced  by  his  wife  one  day 


TRICHOOR. 


to  come  to  a  school-gathering  we  had  in  the  com- 
pound, simply  because  it  was  presented  to  him  in 
the  light  of  a  garden-party;  and  he  was  greatly 
struck  with  what  he  saw,  especially  with  the 
sweet  singing  of  the  girls,  and  with  a  dear  little 
child  who  repeated  her  verse  standing  on  a  chair: 

"Jesus,  tender  Shepherd,  hear  me, 
Bless  thy  little  lamb  to-night; 
Through  the  darkness  be  thou  near  me, 
Watch  my  sleep  till  morning  light." 

He  was  so  struck  and  affected  by  this  that  he  be- 
came one  of  the  staunchest  friends  of  the  people 
and  of  the  mission  and  seemed  to  get  a  large 
blessing  to  his  own  soul. 

There  is  a  considerable  body  of  Syrian  Chris- 
tians in  Trichoor,  and  my  husband  has  been  out 
with  Mr.  Bishop  interviewing  some  of  them. 
They  belong  chiefly  to  the  body  of  Romo-Syrians; 
that  is,  those  who  still  adhere  to  the  Church  of 
Rome.  But  there  is  a  division  among  them. 
IMany  began  to  groan  under  the  tyranny,  real  or 
supposed,  of  the  Vicar  Apostolic,  who  is  a  Euro- 
pean. Discontent  was  rife,  and  disputes  and  di- 
vision followed.  So  a  split  occurred,  and  a  strong 
party  seceded  under  the  guidance  and  leadership 
of  Bishop  Melius.  He  is,  unhappily,  absent,  hav- 
ing left  two  days  ago  for  the  Persian  Gulf. 

Some  say  that  this  movement  is  political.  I 
would  call  it  national.    It  is  Asia  against  Europe, 


328  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 

SO  some  declare.  But  the  bishop  seems  to  be  an 
enlightened  man  and  a  reformer.  He  rejects  the 
dogma  of  the  infallibility  of  the  pope,  wishes  that 
the  Bible  should  be  read  by  the  people,  and  is 
friendly  with  Protestants.  There  is  no  doubt  too 
that  he  and  his  party  long  after  the  spiritual  inde- 
pendence which  the  Syrians  proper  enjoy.  The 
party  is  strong  numerically,  from  5,000  to  6,000, 
but  does  not  seem  to  be  strong  otherwise.  The 
people  lack  moral  force;  they  are  weak  and  waver- 
ing ;  and  the  future  of  this  movement  does  not 
seem  to  be  very  assured. 

The  gentlemen  called  on  the  dignitary  who  is 
doing  duty  for  the  bishop  in  his  absence  and 
found  him  pleasant  and  friendly.  They  had  a 
long  talk,  and  then  he  took  them  to  the  church 
and  showed  them  all  they  wished  to  see.  There 
are  some  good  pictures,  one  or  two  images  of  the 
Virgin  and  the  Virgin  and  Child,  also  crucifixes, 
many  candles,  and  much  gilding  and  decoration — 
not  at  all  like  the  simple  old  church  and  worship 
we  saw  at  Cottayam. 

Thus  there  seem  to  be  five  parties  in  the  Syri- 
an Church:  the  original  Syrians,  the  Reforming 
party,  the  Anglican,  the  Romo-Syrians,  and  this 
seceding  party  under  Bishop  Melius. 

After  this  visit,  as  my  husband  wanted  to  see 
the  Sanscrit  College,  which  is  rather  a  famous 


TRICHOOR. 


one,  they  walked  on  towards  it.  But  across  tlie 
entrance  to  the  street  where  it  stands  behold  a 
barrier!  "What  is  this?"  asked  Dr.  Mitchell, 
who  has  had  to  do  with  Sanscrit  colleges  all  his 
days.  The  Brahnians  gathered  round  in  great 
numbers  and  warned  the  intruders  off.  No  Euro- 
pean had  ever  been  allowed  to  set  foot  in  these 
sacred  courts. 

It  was  the  same  in  Poona,  in  the  great  Sanscrit 
College  there,  before  the  spirit  of  progress  and 
enlightenment  had  entered  that  city,  once  the 
hot-bed  of  Brahmanism.  But  this  was  fifty  years 
ago.  Since  then  a  missionary  has  been  asked  to 
act  as  principal  of  it.  But  now  it  is  sad  to  go 
back  all  these  fifty  years,  Trichoor,  indeed,  is 
behind  its  age.  My  husband  spoke  kindly  to  the 
Brahmans,  though  with  a  little  sarcasm,  got  them 
to  laugh,  and  quoted  the  Shastras,  but  all  to  no 
purpose.  He  then  requested  to  be  shown  where 
the  principal  lived,  and  was  escorted  by  crowds 
to  a  place  where  he  was  received  outside  by  a  fine 
old  Brahman,  who  was  naked  to  the  waist  and 
shining  all  over  with  oil.  He  had  been  freshly 
anointed,  and  on  his  bald,  unctuous  head  he  had 
a  sacred  cord  curiously  arranged.  He  was  a  mild, 
courteous  old  man,  and  received  the  two  gentle- 
men with  the  greatest  politeness — though,  all  the 
same,  he  would  not  let  them  enter  the  college. 


330  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


He  was  learned  and  showed  an  extensive  ac- 
quaintance with  Sanscrit  lore,  and  was  rich  with- 
al, teaching  only  for  the  love  of  it. 

There  is  a  peculiarly  sacred  pagoda  here, 
which  we  saw  standing  apart  on  its  hilltop  as 
we  drove  about  in  the  evening.  Like  the  college, 
no  European,  and  no  one  of  low  caste  either,  may 
set  foot  even  on  the  hill,  far  less  within  the  tem- 
ple. One  day  an  unlucky  Englishman,  not  being 
aware  of  his  disability,  walked  up  to  the  gateway, 
which,  of  course,  barred  his  further  progress. 
Immediately  there  was  a  tremendous  commotion. 
The  man  had  to  take  to  his  heels,  a  complaint 
was  sent  in  to  Government,  and  much  money  had 
to  be  expended  in  order  that  the  desecrated  tem- 
ple might  undergo  purification. 

One  thing  is  pretty  plain  from  all  this — that 
no  one  has  yet  got  quite  behind  the  scenes,  so  to 
speak,  in  these  curious,  benighted  little  States. 
Things  are  still  as  they  have  been  for  ages.  Brah- 
manism  and  Brahmans  are  untouched,  everything 
connected  with  them  being  still  hermetically 
sealed  to  all  closer  inquiry  and  investigation. 
Who  would  believe  that,  numerically,  they  are 
much  the  smallest  portion  of  the  population,  while 
the  Christians,  who  have  as  yet  so  little  influence 
in  comparison,  are  about  a  fifth  of  the  whole  peo- 
ple?   A  large  field  presents  itself  here  to  anti- 


TRICIIOOR.  331 

quarian  research  as  well  as  to  the  missionary. 
What  curious  questions  there  are  for  solution  ! 
Who  can  solve  the  problem  how  the  barred  por- 
tals are  to  be  unlocked  and  truth  in  all  its  many- 
colored  lights  and  its  many-sided  blessings  may 
be  let  in  on  this  reat  darkness? 

After  a  day  of  untiring  interest  and  great  en- 
joyment in  this  busy  missionary  abode  we  pre- 
pared to  resume  our  travels,  now  approaching  a 
termination.  Late  in  the  evening,  as  soon  as  the 
moon  rose,  we  took  our  places  in  three  little  bul- 
lock-bandies of  the  rough,  common  country  sort 
and  made  a  very  droll  cavalcade.  It  did  seem 
odd  that  three  gharis  should  be  needed  for  three 
people;  but  when  the  queer  little  machines  drew 
up  in  front  of  the  veranda  it  was  quite  manifest 
that  Mr.  Bishop  was  right  in  insisting  that  we 
must  have  one  apiece.  They  are  very  long,  but 
very  narrow  and  canoe-shaped,  with  high  wheels 
and  arched  roof,  thatched  as  usual  with  dried 
palm  leaf.  In  the  well-like  bottom  one  individ- 
ual could  repose  with  tolerable  comfort,  but  cer- 
tainly not  two.  Joseph  and  his  baskets  were  put 
into  the  first,  I  burrowed  in  a  heap  of  straw  in 
the  second,  and  my  husband,  as  guardian  of  the 
party,  brought  up  the  rear.  Amid  the  kindli- 
est adieus  from  the  whole  assembled  mission  cir- 
cle—  master,  mistress,   ladies,  servants,  native 


332  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 

Christians,  all — we  plunged  from  the  brightness 
of  many  candles  in  many  hands  into  the  darkness 
and  silence  of  the  night.  The  bullocks  were 
meek  as  usual,  and  after  one  or  two  feeble  at- 
tempts to  turn  their  heads  to  their  stables,  at  length 
accepted  their  fate  and  took  to  the  road. 

Happily  it  was  a  glorious  night.  The  rising 
moon  gleamed  through  the  trees  in  a  shimmer  of 
silver  light,  throwing  shadows  across  the  road. 
It  seemed  one  long  avenue  fringed  and  canopied 
by  magnificent  trees,  which  stood  outlined  against 
the  illuminated  sky  with  lovely  effect.  We  some- 
times passed  through  what  seemed  to  be  dense 
forests  as  well  as  low-lying  jungles;  while  along 
our  route  the  giant  forest  pillars  supported  a  grand 
cathedral  roof  of  interlacing,  over-arching  boughs. 
I  do  not  know  if  it  would  look  so  fine  in  daylight, 
but  now  it  seemed  as  if  we  were  passing  through 
one  of  Jehovah's  most  majestic  temples.  I  am 
afraid  I  lost  some  of  the  beauty,  for  "tired  na- 
ture" demanded  her  "sweet  restorer,"  and  even 
the  bumping  and  rattle  and  general  perversity  of 
bullocks  and  drivers  were  all  alike  unavailing  to 
keep  me  awake.  The  rear-guard,  my  poor  hus- 
band, was  much  worse  off.  He  dared  not  sleep 
or  the  whole  cavalcade  would  go  to  sleep  together, 
and  we  wanted  to  catch  the  morning  train  at  Sho- 
ranoor.    So  he  walked  a  good  deal,  with  a  for- 


TRICHOOR. 


333 


midable-looking  stick  in  his  hand,  keeping  the 
sleepy  men  to  their  duty.  This  seemed  to  con- 
sist in  jerking  the  poor  beasts'  tails,  for  the  tail  to 
the  bullock  is  like  the  rudder  to  the  ship.  On 
the  whole,  we  were  not  sorr}^  when  at  daybreak 
we  reached  Shoranoor.  We  joined  the  hot,  dusty 
train  when  it  came  up,  and  notwithstanding  our 
misadventures,  I  confess  I  almost  regretfully  bade 
a  last  adieu  to  a  bullock-bandy.  We  halted  at 
Pothanoor  for  an  hour,  where  there  is  a  fine  sta- 
tion, and  before  the  day  grew  very  hot  we  had 
arrived  at  Coimbatore. 


334  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

COIMBATORE. 

I  AM  sitting  ill  a  low  chair  in  a  huge  room, 
shady  from  a  deep,  bowery  veranda,  a  cool  air 
stealing  gently  in  and  a  delicious  sense  of  soli- 
tude and  repose  stealing  as  gently  over  the  spirit. 
It  is  delightfully  cool;  such  a  contrast  to  the 
steamy,  soaking  heat  of  the  low-lying  lands  and 
waters  from  whence  we  have  come.  This  is  a 
vast  plain,  one  thousand  four  hundred  feet  higher 
than  the  sea-level ;  so  we  can  breathe  again, 
though  it  would  be  impossible  to  tell  how  tired 
we  are.  One's  energies  all  seem  to  have  oozed 
out  in  the  great  steam-bath  below.  Indeed  we 
are  both  so  used  up  in  every  sense  that  we  are 
making  up  our  minds  to  leave  part  of  the  tour 
we  had  mapped  out  for  ourselves — to  be  overtaken 
when,  please  God,  we  return  to  the  plains  as  soon 
as  the  hot  season  is  over — and  to  proceed  now  to 
the  hills. 

We  were  met  at  the  station  this  morning  by 
Mr.  Hooker,  a  young  missionary  of  the  London 
Missionary  Society,  who  has  quite  lately  joined 
the  band  of  workers  here,  and  is  by  no  means  yet, 


COIMBATORE. 


335 


as  I  tell  him,  out  of  his  griffinhood.  The  older 
missionary,  Mr.  Hutchison,  is  now,  with  his 
wife  and  family,  ou  the  Neilgherry  Hills.  Mr. 
Hooker  and  a  friend  live  in  this  bungalow  in  most 
pleasant  bachelor  fashion.  I  confess  to  a  strong 
liking  for  bachelor's  quarters;  there  is  the  perfect 
freedom  and  unconventionality  which  suits  people 
of  busy  habits  and  nomadic  propensities.  Mr. 
Hooker  is  full  of  enthusiasm  about  his  work,  and 
he  and  Dr.  Mitchell  are  now  deep  in  missionary 
economics  in  the  library  adjoining,  the  murmur 
of  their  voices,  in  chorus  with  the  birds,  breaking 
on  the  noontide  silence. 

There  is  a  flourishing  zenana  mission  here 
conducted  by  two  ladies  from  home.  They  spent 
last  evening  with  us,  and  early  this  morning  they 
took  me  to  see  some  of  their  work.  The  schools 
imfortunately  are  in  recess,  the  hot  season  holi- 
days having  commenced ;  so  we  hope  to  see  more 
as  we  return.  The  gentlemen,  who  went  early 
into  the  city  to  talk  to  the  people  and  preach 
through  a  native  Christian  interpreter,  arranged 
to  meet  us  at  the  native  church,  a  fine,  substan- 
tial, large  building  with  some  interesting  monu- 
ments and  tablets  on  the  walls  telling  of  departed 
missionaries.  I  had  plenty  of  time  to  see  every- 
thing and  talk  to  the  matron  of  the  boarding- 
school,  for  the  gentlemen  were  long  in  appear- 


336  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 

ing.  At  length  they  came  up  walking  and  very 
much  dust-begrimed.  The  pony,  who  is  as  ener- 
getic as  his  master,  had  set  oflf  at  a  gallop  round 
a  sharp  corner,  upset  the  phaeton,  and  sent  the 
poor  gentlemen  sprawling  on  the  road.  Happi- 
ly it  was  not  far  to  fall  as  the  machine  is  low, 
and  they  are  none  the  worse;  but  I\Ir.  Hooker 
cannot  get  over  his  discomfiture  at  the  impropri- 
ety of  his  pet  pony  treating  his  reverend  guest 
with  such  terrible  irreverence  ! 

Coimbatore  is  an  important  and  beautiful  sta- 
tion lying  on  this  elevated  plateau  with  air  its 
grand  expansiveness.  In  the  dim  distance  there 
are  great  ranges  of  dark  purple  mountains  and 
Ootacamund  is  only  fifty  miles  ofi".  Towards  the 
mountains  are  dense  forests  of  valuable  woods. 
The  fragrant  sandalwood  is  there,  also  the  ma- 
hogany, blackwood,  teak,  Jack,  and  many  others. 

In  these  glades  the  wild  beasts  of  the  forests 
naturally  delight  to  disport  themselves.  There  are 
great  herds  of  wild  elephants,  besides  the  tiger, 
leopard,  wolf,  bear,  and  others;  and  so  there  are 
famous  hunting  grounds  within  reach.  The  plain 
waves  with  fine  crops  of  varied  sorts,  not  now  the 
paddy-field  of  the  low  country,  and  there  is  little 
rice,  but  abundance  or  pea,  cotton,  hemp,  sugar- 
cane, and  tobacco,  while  the  coffee,  cinchona,  and 
tea  occupy  the  higher  grounds. 


COIMBATORE.  337 

Altogether,  I  fancy  there  is  no  place  more  at- 
tractive, or  better  suited  for  European  settlers,  in 
all  India  than  this  breezy  healthful  plateau,  with 
its  grand  neighborhood  of  mountains  towering 
yonder  to  the  skies. 

I  most  deeply  grieve  to  have  to  add,  regarding 
the  promising  young  missionary  of  whom  I  have 
been  speaking,  that  very  soon  after  we  had  seen 
him  Mr.  Hooker  caught  fever  among  the  swamps 
of  the  Backwater  after  the  monsoon  had  set  in; 
the  disease  soon  ran  its  course,  and  he  went  away 
to  his  Saviour  before  had  completed  his  first  year 
in  India. 


Scenea  In  Soutliem  loUla. 


22 


338  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

THE  NEILGHERRIES. 

CooNooR,  March  17. 

I  HAVE  neglected  my  journal  in  rather  a  shame- 
ful way  since  our  arrival  in  this  little  earthly 
paradise.  I  can  do  nothing  but  feast  on  the 
beauty  which  surrounds  us  and  drink  in  the  fresh 
scented  air  and  the  quiet  and  the  perfect  sense 
of  rest,  mingling  with  it  all  a  deep  thankfulness 
to  our  gracious  God  who  has  so  lovingly  watched 
over  us  and  brought  us  in  safety  hither. 

It  is  quite  impossible  to  resist  the  fascination 
of  this  place,  which  enslaves  you  from  the  mo- 
ment you  set  foot  above  the  Ghat,  and  only  grows 
and  grows  as  you  explore  and  wander  through 
the  bewildering  by-paths  and  find  out  new  charms 
at  every  turn.  I  confess  that  since  we  came  we 
have  both  simply 

"...  wandered  away  and  away 
With  Nature,  the  dear  old  nurse  ;" 

and  no  one  would  wonder,  for  we  are  on  the  love- 
liest of  hilltops,  the  famed  Neilgherries,  the  Blue 
Mountains,  as  the  name  means. 

It  seenied  so  curious  at  first,  and  almost  too 


THE  NEILGHERRIES. 


339 


good  to  be  believed,  that  we  had  not  to  pack  up 
and  set  out  on  a  new  tramp;  that  we  had  actually 
three  whole  months  before  us  wherein  to  be  quiet 
here  "apart"  and  rest.  Yet  it  is  wonderful  how 
perfectly  we  have  settled  down  to  sedate  life  after 
the  long  period  we  have  just  passed  through  of 
such  delightful  vagrancy. 

But  I  must  not  forget  that  I  bade  you  adieu 
at  Coimbatore.  After  a  few  days'  stay  with  our 
kind  bachelor  friends  we  started  one  morning  by 
an  early  train,  and  were  soon  speeding  across  the 
plain  towards  a  giant  wall  of  purple  battlements 
which  stretched  before  us  and  towered  grandly  to 
the  sky.  These  soon  stopped  our  further  progress, 
for  as  yet  there  is  not  a  railway  line  scaling  the 
wall,  as  on  the  Western  Ghats  from  the  Konkan 
to  the  Deccan.  As  we  drew  towards  the  terminus 
we  spied  a  long  line  of  queer-looking  machines 
drawn  up  evidently  for  the  accommodation  of  pos- 
sible travellers.  These  were  tongas^  a  vehicle 
somewhat  like  a  high-wheeled  rough  dogcart, 
very  strong,  with  a  capacious  well  situated  be- 
tween the  front  and  back  seats.  We  soon  en- 
gaged one  of  these,  and  while  we  had  our  break- 
fast Joseph  stowed  our  possessions  in  the  well, 
mounting  rugs  and  quilts  on  the  splash-boards. 
A  droll  turn-out  it  looked.  A  pair  of  lean,  small, 
dun-colored  tattoos  (country  ponies),  with  high  cur- 


2^0  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


ricle-liarness,  were  brought  out,  and  after  much 
persuasion  in  the  shape  of  kicks  and  blows  they 
were  induced  to  let  themselves  be  attached  to  the 
vehicle.  We  took  our  seats  behind,  while  Joseph 
mounted  beside  the  driver,  and  after  a  splutter  and 
dash  and  sundry  eccentric  movements  from  the 
hind  legs  of  the  cantankerous  little  beasts,  which 
hurt  their  heels,  poor  things,  far  more  than  the 
strong  machine,  we  were  off  up  to  the  Ghat  like  the 
wind.  How  we  flew  !  But  the  driver  was  much 
too  experienced  in  the  ways  of  his  kittle-cattle  to 
listen  to  our  expostulations  and  let  them  slacken 
speed  for  an  instant,  even  at  the  steepest  parts. 
Had  he  done  so,  we  should  all,  probably,  have 
gone  over  the  precipice.  So  he  dexterously 
guided  them  round  the  sharp  corners  of  the  ter- 
raced ascent,  and  after  a  very  short  run  the  pant- 
ing, steaming  beasts  were  reined  in  at  a  siding 
and  their  places  taken  by  another  pair,  their  ex- 
act counterpart.  The  little  pantomime  with  the 
heels  was  repeated  and  we  were  off  again.  This 
occurred  every  two  or  three  miles.  Thus  we 
made  the  grand  ascent  of  some  6,000  feet,  and  a 
good  while  before  darkness  came  we  had  got  to 
the  goal — the  top  of  the  delectable  Ncilgherries. 

At  first  the  glare  was  blinding  and  the  hot, 
white  dust  intolerable.  The  fiery  rays  of  the 
noonday  sun  seemed  to  scorch  us  as  they  radiated 


THE  NEILGHERRIES. 


from  the  rocky  walls  which  rose  sheer  from  the 
side  of  the  white  road.  The  trees  and  jungle 
looked  parched  and  drooping,  every  leaf  being 
powdered  with  the  fine  penetrating  dust.  We 
were  soon  as  white  as  the  bushes  and  our  eyes 
ached  from  the  scintillating  rays.  But  erelong 
we  rose  above  all  these  little  troubles  in  every 
sense  and  got  into  regions  where  all  things  be- 
came new.  The  air  grew  cool  and  pure  ;  the 
white-heat  look  died  out  of  the  sky,  now  a  deep 
fathomless  blue,  absolutely  without  a  cloud.  The 
upland  slopes  were  clothed  with  sJiola  of  the  fresh- 
est green.  And,  "What  is  that  low,  scrubby  bush 
which  now  covers  the  hillsides  ?  That  is  surely 
tea?"  we  inquired  of  our  intelligent  driver.  We 
were  right;  it  was  our  old  acquaintance,  the  low- 
ly tea  shrub.  Next  came  coffee,  a  larger  shrub, 
with  larger,  darker  leaf,  but  trained  to  grow 
rather  low  for  the  better  development  of  the 
berry.  There  was  also  the  cinchona,  with  its 
large  beautiful  leaf  All  these  seemed  to  be  ex- 
tensively cultivated  and  covered  vast  reaches  on 
the  hillsides.  Occasionally  we  passed  the  white 
bungalow  of  a  planter  and  his  little  settlement, 
including  the  long  line  of  huts  for  the  coolies 
who  work  the  estate,  and  then  a  few  quaint  little 
hamlets  of  curiously  shaped  huts,  probably  the 
villages  of  the  wilder  races  who  inhabit  the  hills. 


342  SCENES  IN  SOUTIIICRN  INDIA. 


How  lovely  it  grew  as  we  ascended !  Noon 
was  long  passed  and  the  shadows  from  rock  and 
liill  lay  peaceful  and  soft  across  the  road  and  be- 
neath the  trees.  Every  spur  we  skirted  and  every 
ascent  we  made  the  scenery  became  more  beauti- 
ful. Giant  forms  near  and  far  lay  massed  against 
the  sky,  glowing  with  the  amber  light  of  even- 
ing, while  valleys  and  ravines,  filled  with  dark, 
rich  foliage,  reposed  in  deepest  shadow.  Beauti- 
ful woods  in  every  variety  of  tint,  from  the  light- 
est green  to  the  dark  dress  of  the  cypress  and  cas- 
uarina,  now  crowned  many  an  eminence,  while 
rounded  hilltops  and  lofty  summits  or  precipitous 
brown  crags,  whose  rugged  sides  shone  like  bur- 
nished copper  in  the  rays  of  the  setting  sun,  reared 
themselves  grandly  over  the  woods.  Pretty,  pic- 
turesque houses  surrounded  by  gardens  were  now 
more  common,  many  of  them  beautifully  situated. 
We  were  evidently  nearing  the  summit.  We 
made  a  long  descent  into  a  valley,  crossed  a 
pretty  bridge  over  a  brawling  torrent,  sped  up 
the  ascent  on  the  other  side,  turned  into  an  ave- 
nue bounded  by  pink  and  white  roses,  which  sent 
waves  of  sweet  fragrance  down  to  us  and  long 
sprays  loaded  with  the  exquisite  clusters,  and 
stopped  before  a  long,  low  bungalow.  A  tidy 
"boy"  in  a  clean  white  turban  and  speaking 
English  perfectly  rushed  out  to  welcome  us. 


THE  NEILGHERRIES. 


343 


We  were  now  in  Davidson's  excellent  and 
comfortable  hotel,  but,  to  our  delight,  W'e  found 
we  had  as  yet  a  whole  bungalow  to  ourselves.  It 
is  well  named  Belmont,  for  it  stands  beautifully. 
The  house  is  on  the  top  of  a  small  plateau  in  the 
midst  of  an  amphitheatre  of  distant  hills.  We 
have  a  terraced  garden  which  goes  to  the  edge  of 
a  deep  ravine,  across  which  we  look  at  some  grand 
summits  crowned  with  the  prettiest  Swiss-looking 
houses  and  fine  trees.  On  the  left  there  is  an  un- 
dulating ridge  with  one  or  two  higher  points  and 
a  lovely  bit  of  brown-green  slope  quite  bare  of 
trees.  Then  to  the  front  there  is  a  cleft,  an  open- 
ing through  which  you  see  a  bit  of  the  far-away 
plains  set  in  a  lovely  framework  of  many-tinted 
green,  and  then  to  the  right  we  have  the  Droog, 
a  magnificent  headland,  which  I  must  speak  about 
again.  The  shola  and  woods  which  fill  the  valley 
in  front  are  not  too  high  to  obstruct  our  view, 
but  make  the  loveliest  foreground.  No  words 
can  say  how  exquisite  it  is  in  the  morning  as  we 
stand  on  the  steps  to  gaze  before  setting  out  on 
our  explorations;  the  sunbeams  dance  and  sparkle 
in  the  foliage  and  veils  of  blue  vapor  break  and 
curl  in  airy  wreaths;  and  the  birds  sing  and  the 
butterflies  flit  about,  and  there  is  the  sound  of  rip- 
pling water,  which  is  my  husband's  supreme  de- 
light.   Altogether  "  the  lines  have  fallen  to  us  in 


344  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 

p'lcasant  places,"  and  our  hearts  overflow  with 
thankfulness. 

We  have  found  many  friends  here  and  much 
Christian  work  going  on,  into  which  it  is  a  delight 
to  throw  ourselves  heart  and  soul.  The  bishop 
and  Mrs.  Speechly  are  here,  Mr.  Harcourt  and 
Mr.  Kember,  of  Palamcotta,  also  the  Neves  and 
many  other  dear  friends.  We  have  been  specially 
glad  to  meet  Dr.  Jared  Scudder,  of  the  Arcot 
Mission,  in  connection  with  the  Dutch  Reformed 
Church  in  America,  with  his  wife  and  family. 
There  is  a  small  branch  of  the  mission  in  Coonoor 
and  a  chapel,  and  though  there  is  no  missionary 
resident  all  the  year  through  there  is  a  young 
native  pastor  in  charge,  and  Dr.  Scudder  takes 
the  supervision  and  works  here  himself  during 
the  hot  months.  Every  one  knows  the  Scudders; 
they  are  a  missionary  family  and  a  remarkable 
one.  The  first  missionary  of  the  name,  Dr.  John 
Scudder,  had  seven  sons  and  a  daughter,  all  of 
whom  became  missionaries,  and  most  have  work- 
ed in  the  Arcot  district.  Several  of  them  became 
doctors  and  there  is  at  least  one  grandson  who  is 
also  a  doctor  and  a  missionary.  What  an  hon- 
ored race!  Dr.  Jared  Scudder  is  a  vigorous,  able, 
hearty  man  with  great  force  of  character  and  in- 
tensely earnest.  In  Arcot  and  Vellore  the  native 
Christians  number  over  three  thousand  souls. 


THE  XEILGHERRIES. 


345 


Mission  work  has  also  been  carried  on  for  a 
number  of  years  among  the  aboriginal  races  on 
the  hills,  chiefly  by  the  German  mission  in  the 
Kaity  Valley,  which  lies  between  Coonoor  and 
Ootacamund,  but  I  shall  be  able  to  tell  more 
about  these  interesting  wild  people  by-and-by. 
The  Messrs.  Staines,  who  are  owners  of  extensive 
tea  and  coffee  estates  here,  are  at  the  head  of 
much  Christian  effort  for  the  Eiiropean  residents, 
and  there  is  a  nice  little  chapel  built  by  them, 
where  we  have  regular  service,  conducted  by  our 
friend  the  Rev.  Mr.  Rowe.  There  is  a  handsome 
English  church,  also  a  chaplain. 

MARCH  29. 

It  is  early  morning,  the  pure,  fresh,  dewy, 
glorious  Indian  morning,  and,  as  usual,  we  have 
risen  with  the  sun  and  come  out  to  enjoy  it.  In- 
deed, the  sun  is  hardly  up  yet,  though  the  eastern 
horizon  is  flushed  a  rosy  pink  in  glad  anticipation 
of  his  coming.  The  air  is  crisp  and  invigorating, 
so  cool  that  woollen  clothes  are  comfortable,  and 
yet  so  sweet  and  genial  that  you  are  reminded  of 
a  balmy  May-day  in  the  Riviera.  We  have  each 
an  armful  of  books,  some  papers  and  pencils,  and 
a  good  glass,  with  broad  hats  and  white  umbrellas, 
for  we  do  not  breakfast  till  ten  and  it  is  cool  under 
the  trees  until  that  hour.  I  am  also  provided 
with  a  basket  to  be  filled  by-and-by  from  the 


346  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


treasures  of  the  woods  and  hedgerows  as  well  as 
from  the  bright  flower-beds  which  surround  our 
hotel  doors. 

What  should  we  in  India  do  without  these 
delicious  morning  hours,  when  mind  and  soul  as 
well  as  body  seem  awake  and  able  to  rise  a  little 
above  the  earthly  and  material,  the  heat  and  las- 
situde— when  one's  spirit  at  least  tries  to  "mount 
up  with  wings  as  eagles"  and  see  something  of 
the  glory  of  the  great  Artificer  in  His  glorious 
works !  It  is  true  in  a  very  literal  sense  here 
that  "joy  cometh  with  the  morning."  And  this 
"sweet  hour  of  prime"  is  especially  sweet  on 
these  lovely  blue  hills. 

Our  favorite  perch,  where  I  am  now  writing, 
is  a  rustic  seat  beneath  a  dark  spreading  old 
cedar  on  the  edge  of  another  slope  to  the  right  of 
the  bungalow,  from  which  we  look  across  a  deep 
wide  valley,  through  the  usual  feathery  screen  of 
many-tinted  foliage,  to  the  grand  summits  which 
rise  on  the  other  side.  At  our  feet,  far  down  in 
the  valley,  a  dancing  stream  with  merry  voice 
rattles  over  its  rough  boulder-bed,  while  on  its 
banks,  rising  from  it  all  over  the  slopes,  lies  the 
picturesque  little  Bazar,  or  native  town  of  Coo- 
noor.  The  houses  and  shops  and  sheds,  in  all  the 
brilliance  of  fresh  whitewash — for  the  season  is 
just  beginning — are  scattered  about  as  if  dropped 


THE  NEILGHERRIES. 


347 


at  random,  perched  at  different  elevations  wher- 
ever they  can  find  standing-room.  The  pretty 
little  white  mission  church  stands  half  way  up 
opposite  to  us;  on  another  elevation  there  is  the 
low  structure  with  pointed  roof  which  answers 
for  both  schoolroom  and  chapel,  where  we  have 
our  delightful  servdces  on  Sundays  and  week- 
days. A  few  more  pretentious  buildings  there 
are,  including  the  Postoffice,  the  Station  Library, 
and  a  few  "stores"  of  the  most  comprehensive 
character.  Down  at  the  bottom  of  the  valley  two 
pretty  bridges  span  the  torrent,  which  has  a  hand- 
breadth  of  green  common  on  either  side,  where 
some  droll  little  brown  tailless  sheep  nibble  the 
scanty  grass,  ducks  and  geese  cackle,  and  people 
begin  to  congregate  in  little  groups  ready  for  the 
shandy^  or  morning  market. 

Turning  round  a  little  we  have  the  tower  of 
the  beautiful  station  church  rising  over  the  dark 
foliage  of  the  cypress-trees  which  surround  it — a 
lovely  spot,  which  attracts  one  most  in  the  pen- 
sive, quiet  hours  of  evening  when  the  sun  is  set- 
ting behind  the  western  ranges.  Then,  far  up  on 
the  crests  as  well  as  low  in  the  valleys,  the  white 
bungalows  of  European  residents  gleam  out  from 
amid  the  rich  greenery  of  the  shola^  or  beautiful 
natural  woods — one  of  the  chief  beauties  of  the 
hills.    The  blue  gum  or  eucalyptus  has  been  ex- 


348 


SCENES  IN 


SOUTHERN 


INDIA. 


tensively  planted  and  is  to  be  seen  everywhere  in 
clumps  and  belts  or  in  the  midst  of  other  wood. 
It  is  here  in  every  tint  and  at  every  age,  from  the 
baby  shrub  in  its  broad,  bright,  blue,  shining  leaves 
to  the  tall,  gaunt,  sombre,  rather  tattered-looking 
veteran  of  the  tribe.  Fruit-trees  also  abound, 
especially  the  peach,  and  we  have  plenty  of  straw- 
berries and  also  home  vegetables.  The  hotel  gar- 
den is  almost  a  peach  orchard,  the  branches 
weighed  down  with  the  wealth  of  ripening  fruit. 

The  Australian  "wattle,"  a  kind  of  mimosa, 
very  like  the  beautiful  tree  on  the  Riviera,  spreads 
like  a  weed,  resisting  every  effort  to  restrain  it, 
and  with  its  feathery  leaves  of  a  blue-green  tint 
forms  delicate  screens,  through  which  you  see  the 
dark  browns  and  russets  and  deep  crimson  of  the 
rocks  and  ridges  which  tower  behind.  Farther 
away  the  hillsides  are  now  white  with  the  coffee 
blossom,  which  has  burst  into  sudden  though 
evanescent  beauty,  every  plant  seeming  as  if  pow- 
dered with  purest  snow.  In  a  few  days  this  will 
disappear  and  give  place  again  to  the  unrelieved 
dark  green  of  the  glossy  leaves.  Cofifee  estates 
are  now  numerous  over  the  hills;  also  tea-gardens 
and  plantations  of  the  precious  and  beautiful  cin- 
chona shrub. 

Then  again,  beyond  the  nearer  spurs,  you  look 
away  to  a  never-ending  succession  of  billow}-,  un- 


THE  NEILGHERRIES. 


349 


dulating  hilltops,  absolutely  irregular  iu  shape, 
and  now  and  then  rising  to  abrupt  headlands  and 
sharp,  lofty  ridges.  Among  the  former  the  grand, 
massive  form  of  the  giant  Droog  towers  conspicu- 
ous. It  is  crowned  with  the  ruins  of  a  fort  and 
watch-towers,  which  were  occupied  by  Hyder  Ali 
and  Tippoo-Sultan  during  the  troublous  times  at 
the  close  of  the  last  century;  and  many  are  the 
tales  still  told  of  the  wild  doings  of  these  fierce 
Mussulman  warriors.  Sheer  down  from  the  Droog 
we  again  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  plains,  broken 
into  countless  patches  of  bright  color — for  this  is 
all  the  fields  look  like  six  thousand  feet  below. 
They  gleam  in  the  sunlight  like  a  vast  flooring  of 
brilliant  mosaic.  But  the  chief  charm,  I  think, 
in  this  part  of  the  hills  is  the  way  in  which  the 
summits  are  broken  and  intersected  by  clefts  and 
ravines  and  the  loveliest  valleys,  all  filled  with 
a  wealth  of  luxuriant  vegetation  of  the  richest 
beauty.  The  variety  of  tint  among  the  trees  and 
in  the  shola  is  wonderful,  and  the  delicate  blue  of 
the  young  gum-trees  gives  a  softness  to  the  mass 
of  darker  foliage.  The  effects  are  indescribably 
beautiful,  especially  when  as  now  in  the  early 
morning  bright  arrows  of  light  from  the  rising 
sun  pierce  the  green  depths  and  sparkle  like  myr- 
iad gems  among  the  interlacing  boughs.  Every 
leaf  seems  to  have  "its  ain  drap  o'  dew."  A 


350  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


tender  haze  floats  dreamily  about  and  cloud- 
shadows  still  linger  on  the  slopes.  The  sound  of 
rippling  water  from  the  numerous  little  streams 
and  burnies  which  come  down  from  the  higher 
points  makes  sweet  music,  mingling  with  the 
choruses  of  happy  birds,  the  joyous  hum  of  bees, 
and  the  noisy  gambols  of  the  brisk  little  squirrels. 
An  active  little  green  lizard,  with  beadlike  eyes, 
has  just  darted  round  the  tree,  wondering  to  find 
his  domain  invaded. 

But  a  devoted  friend  of  mine,  a  magnificent 
collie,  has  just  laid  his  nose  in  my  lap  and  fixed 
his  beseeching,  soft  eyes  on  mine,  saying  it  is 
time  to  go  for  a  stroll.  The  air  is  full  of  aromatic 
scent  of  the  gum-trees,  mingled  with  the  perfume 
of  roses  and  heliotrope  and  "flowers  of  all  hue" 
which  abound  in  lavish  profusion.  Every  house 
has  its  garden,  and  the  verandas  are  bowery  with 
trailers  and  creepers  and  beautiful  orchids,  while 
the  avenues  and  drives  are  adorned  with  rare  trees 
and  evergreens  and  flowering  shrubs  in  endless 
variety.  The  tall  tree-fern  and  tree-rhododendron 
are  especially  beautiful;  the  latter  is  still  covered 
with  its  gorgeous  blossom,  at  once  so  delicate  in 
hue  and  so  rich  in  effect.  Even  the  public  roads 
contribute  to  the  beauty,  being  skirted  by  high 
hedgerows  of  China  and  cluster  roses — pink,  red, 
and  white.    Heliotrope  hedges  also  abound,  from 


THE  NEILGHERRIES. 


which  yoti  can  gather  a  sheaf  of  the  fragrant 
flowers  without  its  being  missed;  and  many  a 
winding  little  by-path,  leading  to  some  bonnie 
bit  in  the  woods  carpeted  with  mosses  and  ferns, 
is  edged  with  the  scarlet  and  sweet-scented  gera- 
nium. The  whole  place  is  intersected  with  cap- 
ital roads — carriage  roads,  private  roads,  bridle 
paths,  and  labyrinthine  tracks  and  trails.  At 
every  turn  some  fresh  view  presents  itself,  each 
one  finer  than  the  last,  of  these  wondrous,  ever- 
lasting hills.  You  feel  you  can  hardly  resist  the 
impulse  to  kneel  down  and  worship  God  in  his 
own  grand  temple  among  the  glorious  things 
which  are  his  own  handiwork. 

One  "thing  of  beauty"  I  have  never  seen 
exactly  the  same  anywhere  else  is  the  fascina- 
ting, ethereal,  indescribable  haze  or  vapor  I  have 
already  spoken  of;  I  hardly  know  what  to  call  it. 
It  is  as  if  the  air  were  tinted  a  deep  blue,  so  deli- 
cate and  gossamer  are  its  shadowy  veils,  which 
linger  on  the  slopes  or  lie  in  the  hollows  or  float 
low  in  the  valleys  among  the  foliage,  and  the 
effect  amid  the  sunlit  green  is  beyond  description 
lovely. 

Such  is  our  beautiful  Coonoor,  though  in  truth 
half  has  not  been  told.  Ootacamund  lies  some 
twelve  miles  away,  on  the  western  slopes  of  the 
Dodabetta  range — the  highest  in  South  India. 


352  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


This  well-known  capital  occupies  a  higher  pla- 
teau than  Coonoor,  though  the  difference  of  some 
two  thousand  feet  hardly  accounts  for  the  great 
change  in  climate,  Ooty,  as  it  is  popularly  called, 
being  much  colder.  Here  the  vegetation  is  semi- 
tropical  and  the  scenery  rich  and  varied,  as  I  have 
described.  About  Ootacamund  there  is  a  succes- 
sion of  open,  breezy  downs,  and  the  air  is  fresh 
and  bracing,  reminding  one  of  the  fine  "caller 
air"  of  our  own  dear  heather  hills  at  home. 

There  is  indeed  a  wonderful  charm  about  these 
Blue  Mountains.  It  is  not  that  they  transcend  all 
others  in  grandeur  and  sublimity;  the  Himalayas 
have  loftier  peaks  and  more  stupendous  precipices; 
ttiey  have  also  their  everlasting  snows.  The 
Ghats  of  Western  India  are  more  picturesque,  with 
their  jagged,  pointed  peaks,  rocky  ridges,  and 
varied  and  fantastic  forms,  while  these  hills  have 
nearly  always  the  same  blue  ranges,  with  their 
rounded,  undulating  tops.  And  yet  for  loveliness 
and  general  fascination,  for  softness  and  all  attrac- 
tiveness, the  Neilgherries  seem  to  me  to  surpass 
all  other  hill  resorts  I  have  seen.  I  yield  the 
palm  to  them,  and  must  be  allowed  to  say  in  the 
words  of  the  quaint  old  Scottish  ballad, 

"  Of  all  the  hills  the  sun  kens, 
Bcautifulk'st  these !" 


THE  TODAS  AND  A  TODA-MUND.  353 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

THE  TODAS  AND  A  TODA-MUND. 

But  the  Blue  Mountains  have  other  and  even 
higher  interests  than  all  this  natural  beauty  I 
have  been  speaking  about. 

Long  ages  before  Mr.  Sullivan,  then  Commis- 
sioner of  Coimbatore,  and  later,  Lord  Elphin- 
stone,  had  conceived  the  happy  idea  of  making 
the  Neilgherries  a  sanitarium  and  a  resort  for 
Europeans  from  the  heat  of  the  southern  plains, 
these  had  known  other  and  very  different  inhab- 
itants, some  of  whom  remain  to  this  day,  putting 
forth  the  lofty  claim  to  be  still  considered  "lords 
of  the  soil." 

Among  most  of  the  mountain  ranges  and  more 
sequestered  places  in  India  there  arc  to  be  found 
wild  primitive  people,  often  the  aborigines  of  the 
country.  Among  the  Western  Ghats  we  have  the 
Thakurs,  Katkaries,  etc.  ;  in  the  Himalayas  and 
other  ranges,  the  Lepchas,  Khasis,  Oaros,  and 
others;  in  the  jungly  regions  of  Western  Bengal 
there  are  the  Santals  and  Khols ;  but  of  all  the 
wilder  races,  perhaps  the  Todas  of  the  Neilgher- 
ries are  tlic  most  interesting  and  remarkable. 

Br«>neB  Id  SouthorD  Inillo.  2  % 


354  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 

Altogether  there  are  five  diflfereut  races  on 
these  hills :  the  Todas,  Badagas,  Irulas,  Kotas, 
and  Kurumbers.  The  Badagas  are  a  fine,  manly 
race,  and  the  most  numerous,  but  they  are  hardly 
hill-men;  they  were  originally  Hindoos,  worship- 
pers of  the  god  Shiva,  and  migrated  to  the  hills 
from  the  Mysore  country  some  three  or  four  hun- 
dred years  ago.  They  are  chiefly  agricultural, 
and  acknowledge  a  kind  of  fealty  to  the  Todas  as 
their  feudal  landlords,  paying  them  tribute  in 
grain,  which  is  called  goodu.  The  Irulas  are 
scarcely  hill-men  either;  they  are  a  Tamil-speak- 
ing people  who  live  low  down  on  the  slopes, 
though  they  differ  in  many  characteristics  from 
the  people  of  the  plains. 

The  Todas  are  the  least  numerous  of  all  the 
five  tribes  I  have  named,  but  they  are  much  the 
most  independent  as  well  as  the  most  curious  in 
their  habits  and  ways,  in  their  personal  appear- 
ance also,  and  their  religious  observances.  The 
question  of  their  origin  has  occupied  the  attention 
of  antiquarians  and  men  interested  in  such  mat- 
ters, and  much  speculation  has  been  the  result; 
but  these  learned  investigators  are  by  no  means  of 
one  mind  on  the  knotty  point.  Some  hold  them 
to  be  of  Scythian  descent;  others  that  they  are 
the  descendants  of  some  old  Roman  colony  ;  oth- 
ers say  they  are  Jews,  and  many  that  they  arc  the 


TOrAS. 


THE  TODAS  AND  A  TODA-MUND.  355 


aborigines  of  the  Neilgherries.  On  this  point  M. 
Metz,  of  the  Basle  Evangelical  Missionary  Soci- 
ety, says,  in  his  interesting  little  book  on  these 
tribes,  ' '  If  you  ask  me  who  are  the  Todas,  I  am 
obliged  to  answer  I  cannot  tell.  I  am  satisfied 
they  are  not  the  aborigines  of  the  Neilgherries." 
Their  own  account  of  themselves,  when  my  hus- 
band questioned  them,  is  the  most  striking:  "We 
have  come  from  nowhere,  our  ancestors  were  cre- 
ated on  these  hills,  and  these  hills  belong  to  us!" 
They  undoubtedly  are  an  ancient  race,  and,  as 
people  of  ancient  race  are  apt  to  do,  hold  their 
heads  very  high.  They  look  down  on  all  the 
other  tribes  and  even  on  the  Hindoos.  Indeed,  I 
am  not  sure  that  the  present  lords  of  the  soil,  the 
masterful  white  people,  do  not  come  in  for  a  share 
of  their  lofty  scorn. 

The  hospitable  kindness  of  some  very  charm- 
ing peopie  we  met  in  Madras  has  just  given  us  the 
l)lcasure  of  a  visit  to  Ootacamund  and  an  oppor- 
tunity of  making  the  acquaintance  of  the  Todas. 
The  native  town  of  Ootacamund  occupies  a  kind 
of  basin  formed  by  several  spurs,  one  of  which, 
and  the  prettiest,  is  Elk  Hill,  on  which  are  the 
beautiful  house  and  grounds  of  our  friends.  On 
the  first  evening  of  our  stay  our  kind  hostess  took 
us  out  to  see  something  of  the  place.  Crossing 
the  beautiful  little  artificial  lake  by  the  willow- 


356 


SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


bund — a  causeway  skirted  by  a  thick  fringe  of 
feathery  willow-trees — we  drove  up  the  slopes  to 
the  top  of  the  opposite  ridge.  This  pretty  serpeu- 
tine  is  quite  two  miles  in  length  and  adds  greatly 
to  the  beauty  of  the  station.  On  the  hillside 
above  are  scattered  many  of  the  handsome  resi- 
dences of  the  elite  of  jNIadras  society,  among  which 
Government  House  is  conspicuous,  surrounded  by 
beautiful  grounds  and  garden.  On  the  margin  of 
the  lake  stands  the  graceful  Gothic  church  of  St. 
Thomas,  where  the  late  lamented  and  beloved 
governor,  Mr.  Adam,  lies  buried.  Soon,  leaving 
the  settlement  behind,  we  drove  along  some  up- 
land stretches  of  brown  moorland,  then  rounded 
spur  after  spur,  looking  down  on  valleys  and  ra- 
vines, some  cultivated  and  some  filled  with  the 
rich  dark  shola.  Here  tea  meets  you  everywhere; 
coffee  does  not  come  quite  so  high.  Cinchona  is 
also  hardy  and  grows  at  the  height  of  nine  thou- 
sand feet.  At  length,  descending  to  a  valley 
round  a  wooded  shoulder,  we  came  on  one  of  the 
loveliest  spots  one  could  picture,  a  sort  of  wide 
hollow  sheltered  by  some  hilltops,  clothed  witli 
the  richest  sward  and  having  some  fine  trees  and 
shola  about,  in  which  the  evening  sunlight  was 
glinting  exquisitely.  But  what  at  once  arrested 
our  attention  was  that  on  the  sward,  surrounded 
by  all  this  beauty,  stood  three  or  four  erections, 


THE  TODAS  AND  A  TODA-MUND.  357 

the  queerest  and  quaintest  you  could  conceive. 
It  was  hard  to  believe  that  they  were  human  hab- 
itations, though  some  human  figures  sat  in  front, 
quite  as  strange-looking  as  the  dwellings.  They 
sat  on  the  grass,  basking  in  the  sun,  completely 
wrapped  in  their  blankets,  nothing  being  visible 
above  but  the  heads,  covered  with  a  bush  of  thick, 
coarse  black  hair.  One  or  two  of  the  heads  dif- 
fered in  having  a  profusion  of  elf- like  ringlets 
round  the  face  and  neck ;  these  we  found  belonged 
to  the  women. 

"You  have  wished  to  see  a  Toda-mund,"  ex- 
claimed our  friend;  "  there  is  one!" 

Of  course  we  stopped,  got  out  of  the  carriage, 
and  scrambled  down  among  the  bushes  for  a  near- 
er view.  The  figures  stood  up  at  our  approach, 
one  or  two  even  coming  to  meet  us  and  making 
salams,  after  their  own  odd  fashion,  by  raising  the 
right  hand  to  their  forehead  and  placing  the  thumb 
on  the  ridge  of  the  nose. 

But  it  was  getting  late  and  cold,  and  as  there 
was  not  time  to  make  any  satisfactory  investiga- 
tions, our  friend  promised  that  we  should  sec  an- 
other of  these  strange  settlements  very  soon,  called 
the  Marli-mund. 

Accordingly,  one  lovely,  clear,  sunshiny  day, 
a  carriageful  of  big  folk  and  little  set  out  to  make 
the  expedition.     Wc  drove  away  several  miles 


358  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


beyond  Ootacamund,  ascending  higher  and  high- 
er and  having  glorious  views  of  the  two  ranges, 
the  Neilgherries  and  the  Koondahs,  and  glimpses 
afar  of  the  Mysore  plateau.  We  passed  some  plant- 
ers' houses — nice,  cosey,  pretty  bungalows.  Com- 
ing to  the  end  of  the  carriage  road,  we  got  out  and 
walked  on  by  a  shady  path  through  the  shola  and 
speedily  came  to  the  mund,  or  village.  As  usual, 
the  Todas  had  chosen  one  of  the  loveliest  and  most 
romantic  spots  for  their  residence.  The  settle- 
ment consisted  of  two  or  three  huts  erected  on  a 
small  green  eminence  and  surrounded  by  a  low 
wall  of  loose  rough  stones.  We  scrambled  up  and 
entered  the  inclosure.  One  hut  stood  at  the  top, 
another  at  the  bottom,  and  a  clean-swept  open 
court  lay  between,  with  a  fireplace  of  two  or  three 
stones  at  the  side,  on  which  a  pot,  set  gypsy-like, 
was  boiling  merrily.  A  quantity  of  fine,  dark- 
colored  grain  lay  in  a  heap  beside  a  hole  in  the 
floor,  wherein  a  damsel  was  pounding  it  vigor- 
ously with  a  monster  pestle  into  a  sort  of  meal. 
A  third  hut,  standing  a  little  apart,  we  found  was 
used  as  a  cattle-pen,  and  a  fourth,  the  most  preten- 
tious and  the  best  built,  was  consecrated  to  the 
Swamie,  or  god,  and  the  dairy  together,  for  with 
the  Todas  the  dairy  is  the  temple.  They  are  alto- 
gether a  pastoral  people,  and,  like  the  patriarchs 
of  old,  wealth  with  them  means  the  possession  of 


THE  TODAS  AND  A  TODA-MUND.  359 

herds,  these  herds  consisting  entirely  of  buffaloes. 
In  this  mund,  then,  there  were  only  four  huts;  in 
the  first  one  we  had  seen  there  were  five,  and  there 
are  seldom  more  in  one  village.  The  construc- 
tion of  these  huts  is  most  curious.  They  are  built 
of  bamboos  set  closely  together,  tied  with  rattan, 
plastered  with  mud,  and  then  covered  with  a 
thick  thatch.  Those  we  saw  were  about  thirteen 
feet  long  and  scarcely  so  much  in  height. 

In  shape  they  are  an  arched  oval,  the  roof 
reaching  to  the  ground,  like  the  top  of  a  monster 
wagon,  while  the  ends  are  built  up  with  huge 
logs  of  wood  and  resemble  a  filled-in  archway. 
They  are  substantial  and  arc  said  to  be  water- 
tight. I  should  think  they  must  be  air-tight  too, 
for  the  only  opening  they  possess  is  a  tiny  aper- 
ture at  one  end  about  a  couple  of  feet  square,  if  so 
much,  which  serves  for  door,  window,  chimney, 
ventilator — everything.  It  seemed  hard  to  be- 
lieve that  a  grown  man  or  woman  could  squeeze 
through  this  Liliputian  door.  I  got  down  on  all- 
fours  to  try  and  get  a  glimpse  of  the  interior ;  to 
crawl  in  would  have  been  too  daring  an  exploit, 
even  if  it  had  been  possible.  But  I  made  one  of 
the  women  show  me  the  mode  of  ingress,  and  it 
was  very  droll  to  see  her  go  flat  down  and  wriggle 
herself  in  as  if  she  had  been  an  eel.  I  confess  to 
having  discovered  nothing ;  the  place  was  pitch- 


360  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 


dark,  especially  when  I  filled  the  aperture.  But 
my  husband,  who  was  more  fortunate  in  his  in- 
vestigations, says  that  there  is  a  fixed,  low  plat- 
form at  one  side  covered  with  buflfalo-skins.  This 
is  the  common  sleeping-place,  and  is  all  the  fur- 
niture this  novel  habitation  possesses,  except  a 
few  utensils  for  use  in  cooking  and  eating. 

In  such  dens  the  whole  people  of  a  village 
dwell.  Two  or  three  women  were  in  the  court 
when  we  arrived  and  welcomed  us  with  great 
frankness  and  evident  pleasure.  Their  freedom 
of  manner  is  certainly  remarkable  in  Eastern 
women;  they  are  not  in  the  least  shy  or  put  out, 
even  at  the  approach  of  gentlemen.  The  men 
are  bold  and  independent  and  never  seem  to 
know  what  fear  means.  They  are  the  finest- 
looking  wild  people  we  have  seen.  The  men  are 
tall,  well-formed,  and  athletic;  and  the  women 
are  undoubtedly  handsome,  erect,  lithe,  and  would 
be  attractive  if,  like  their  Hindoo  sisters,  they 
were  gentle  and  modest  and  reserved  in  demeanor. 
Both  men  and  women  have  strongly  marked  fea- 
tures, with  good,  aquiline  noses.  One  fine  old 
patriarch,  the  head  man  of  the  village,  who  came 
forward  to  meet  us  leaning  on  a  staff  as  tall  as 
himself,  might  have  sat  for  a  portrait  of  Abra- 
ham; and  I  often  fancied  from  the  cast  of  counte- 
nance that  there  might  be  something  in  the  theory 


THE  TOD  AS  AND  A  TODA-MUXD. 


which  makes  their  origin  Jewish — only  the  ex- 
pression is  open,  honest,  and  good-hnmored.  They 
laugh  loud  and  merrily  on  the  slightest  provoca- 
tion. Men  and  women  dress  exactly  alike,  if  dress 
it  can  be  called  which  consists  of  one  garment,  a 
long  blanket  which  envelopes  them  from  head  to 
foot.  The  women  are  much  tattooed,  chiefly 
about  the  neck,  shoulders,  and  arms.  Their 
blue-black  hair  is  curled  carefully  round  their 
well-shaped  heads  in  long  spiral  ringlets — a  re- 
sult produced  by  the  skilful  use  of  small  sticks 
instead  of  curling-tongs — and  has  an  irresistibly 
ludicrous  effect  on  the  top  of  the  blanket  costume. 
Their  ornaments  are  very  primitive:  some  bangles 
made  of  brass  or  lead,  dreadfully  heavy,  and  a 
quantity  of  cowrie  shells  curiously  strung  into 
tassels,  which  dangle  at  the  end  of  necklaces 
made  of  thread,  hair,  or  silver,  according  to  the 
wealth  and  position  of  the  wearer.  They  are  in- 
veterate beggars,  and  do  not  look  with  favor  on 
anything  but  white  money.  A  display  of  the 
latter  induced  the  women  to  sing  us  one  of  their 
songs.  It  was  a  most  singular,  dirge-like  strain, 
executed  with  the  teeth  firmly  set  and  closed — a 
wild,  weird,  mystic  kind  of  chant,  with  no  music 
in  it,  hardly  any  M  ords,  and  the  voices  harsh  and 
monotonous. 

They  are  a  dirty  people;  they  never  wash 


362  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 

either  themselves  or  their  blankets;  and  are  ex- 
cessively lazy.  The  Toda  loves  to  sit  in  his  blan- 
ket in  the  sun,  "monarch  of  all  he  surveys,"  and 
eat  of  the  produce  of  the  soil  wrought  by  the 
sweat  of  other  brows  than  his  own.  He  manasfes 
this  by  exacting  £^oo(^n,  or  tribute,  from  the  inferior 
tribes,  which,  by  working  on  their  superstitions 
in  various  ways,  he  has  hitherto  induced  them  to 
pay.  His  other  and  chief  source  of  revenue  is 
from  his  buffaloes.  Every  village  has  its  own 
special  herd  and  its  own  pasture  ground;  and  the 
sole  occupation  of  the  men  is  to  drive  the  beasts 
to  their  pasture  in  the  morning,  tend  them  during 
the  day,  and  bring  them  home  to  the  IMund  at 
night.  But  the  operation  of  milking  is  very 
sacred,  and  can  only  be  performed  by  the  pujari, 
or  village  priest.  He  receives  the  herd,  joins  the 
people  in  making  obeisance  to  it,  then  proceeds 
with  the  milking,  and  finally  must  himself  place 
the  milk  in  the  dairy.  As  I  said  before,  the  dair}'  is 
the  temple,  and  into  its  sacred  precincts  no  woman 
is  allowed  to  enter.  The  milk  is  made  into  ghee 
and  curd,  and  on  it  chiefly  the  people  live.  The 
buffaloes  are  often  very  fierce  and  dangerous. 
They  attack  strangers  with  great  ferocity,  espe- 
cially white  people;  but  happily  they  at  once 
obey  the  call  or  whistle  of  their  owners,  and  thus 
frequent  accidents  arc  prevented. 


THE  TODAS  AND  A  TODA-MUND.  363 

Although  there  is  no  caste,  rightly  speaking, 
among  the  Todas,  they  are  divided  into  families 
or  classes — I  think  five — who,  though  they  eat 
together,  and  otherwise  fraternize,  never  inter- 
marry. Polyandry  still  exists  among  them,  in 
the  sense  that  when  a  woman  marries,  she  be- 
comes the  wife  of  all  the  brothers  in  the  family 
she  allies  herself  to,  and  her  children  belong  to 
the  husbands  by  seniority.  I  am  glad  to  say  this 
dreadful  custom  seems  to  be  passing  away,  and 
the  Todas  now  think  it  more  respectable  that 
each  man  should  have  his  own  wife,  though 
morals,  I  am  afraid,  cannot  yet  be  said  to  be  of 
a  hi2:h  order  among  them.  Female  infanticide 
once  prevailed,  but  now  is  said  to  have  entirely 
ceased. 

And  what  can  one  say  of  their  worship  and 
religious  observances  except  this,  that  very  little 
is  known  about  them  ?  Their  ideas  on  the  sub- 
ject of  religion  seem  extremely  vague.  They 
can  scarcely  be  called  idolaters,  as  they  have  no 
idols,  or  rather  images;  and  yet  the  bufialo-bell 
of  the  village  is  held  sacred  and  has  libations  of 
milk  poured  out  and  prayers  made  to  it.  It  is 
called  the  Hiradeva,  or  Bcll-god.  There  is  also 
a  hunting-god,  whom  they  propitiate.  He  helps 
them  to  kill  the  tigers  which  otherwise  would 
kill  their  calves.     The  sun  is  also  sometimes 


364  SCENES  IX  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 

worshipped.  But  in  truth,  their  milk  and  their 
buffaloes  are  their  gods,  and  their  single  compre- 
hensive prayer  seems  to  be,  "May  all  be  well; 
may  the  buffaloes  be  well  I"  There  is  a  high 
priest  among  them,  called  a  Palal,  or  head  milk- 
man. He  is  a  most  sacred  personage,  and  lives 
in  a  holy  Mund,  with  only  one  attendant,  called 
a  Kavilol,  herdsman.  A  few  sacred  buffaloes  are 
kept  for  the  exclusive  use  of  this  recluse,  whom 
deity  is  supposed  to  inhabit,  and  who  exercises 
unbounded  influence  over  every  Toda.  Xo  wo- 
man may  approach  the  sacred  Mund,  and  no  man 
is  permitted  to  do  so  without  express  permission, 
and  then  he  must  address  the  holy  man  from  a 
very  respectful  distance.  None  of  the  tribes 
would  dare  refuse  him  anything  he  might  choose 
to  ask  for,  however  unreasonable  the  demand,  or 
some  dire  calamity  would  certainly  overtake  them- 
selves or  their  herds. 

Their  ceremonies  are  few,  the  principal  ones 
being  connected  with  their  dead.  There  are  two 
funeral  ceremonies,  one  called  the  "green  fune- 
ral," which  takes  place  immediately  after  death, 
when  the  body  is  burned;  while  the  other,  called 
the  " dr}' funeral,"  is  intended  to  commemorate 
all  who  have  died  in  a  tribe  within  the  year. 
These  festivals  are  full  of  absurdity  and  would 
take  too  long  to  describe. 


THE  TCDAS  AND  A  TODA-MUXD. 


Such,  then,  is  the  deep  darkness  of  this  sing^a- 
lar  people.  The  German  missionaries  have  tried 
to  work  among  them  and  from  their  influence 
and  that  of  other  Europeans  there  seems  to  be  a 
gradual  dawning  of  civilization;  but  I  have  never 
yet  heard  that  a  Toda  has  become  a  Christian. 
A  good  many  Badagas  have  accepted  the  truth 
and  there  is  a  flourishing  little  congrefration  of 
Christian  Badagas  in  connection  with  the  Basle 
Mission  in  the  Kaity  valley.  My  husband  visited 
this  mission  and  was  greatly  interested  in  what 
lie  saw. 

Our  day  at  the  Marli-mund  was  one  not  to  be 
forgotten.  After  a  long  inter%-iew  with  the  peo- 
ple we  chose  a  lovely  spot  to  encamp  and  rest. 
We  crept  under  the  shade  of  a  thick  mass  of 
thorny  jungle-bush  with  greensward  below  car- 
peted with  brown  dn,-  leaves.  Here  we  ale  our 
lunch,  after  which  the  children  lay  down  on  rugs 
to  sleep,  and  we  read  aloud  about  the  Todas. 
The  birds  were  frightened  into  silence  at  first, 
but  presently  began  their  mern,-  little  carols  again 
and  filled  the  air  with  melody.  The  wild  people 
soon  discovered  our  retreat,  and  stalked  up  to  us 
in  their  long  blankets,  making  a  ring  around  us, 
for  by  this  time  some  of  the  men  had  returned 
from  the  pasture  grounds.  They  begged  hard  for 
more  white  money  zsgoodu. 


366  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 

We  stayed  until  the  sun  was  beginning  to  get 
low  in  the  west,  and  then  turned  our  faces  home- 
wards. As  we  drove  away,  a  gleam  shone  out 
over  the  picturesque  little  Mund  as  it  lay  on  its  * 
green  knoll  under  the  shelter  of  the  sJiola  ;  a  deli- 
cate gathering  haze  just  then  caught  the  ray  and 
was  immediately  alight  with  all  the  hues  of  the 
rainbow. 

"  Surely  a  bow  of  promise  !"  we  all  exclaimed, 
hope  and  promise,  from  the  "rainbow-circled 
throne, ' '  even  for  the  poor  Todas. 

' '  The  people  that  walked  in  darkness  have  seen 
a  great  light:  they  that  dwell  in  the  land  of  the 
shadow  of  death,  upon  them  hath  the  light 
shined."  So  may  it  be  speedily  with  all  the 
dark,  degraded  races  of  this  interesting  land  ! 


HOMEWARD. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

HOMEWARD. 

I  MUST  now  take  leave  of  my  readers  who 
have  kindly  accompanied  us  in  our  wanderings 
over  some  of  the  mission  fields  of  Southern  India. 

Very  soon  after  our  delightful  visit  to  Ootaca- 
mund  a  severe  attack  of  illness  put  an  end  to 
many  cherished  hopes  and  plans.  But  as  soon  as 
the  journey  to  the  plains  wa^  possible  my  hus- 
band brought  me  down  to  Bangalore.  I  had  long 
looked  forward  to  a  visit  to  this  beautiful  city  of 
the  south ;  but  now  I  was  here  I  was  not  able  to 
explore  it.  It  is  one  of  the  pleasantest  and 
healthiest  and  prettiest  stations  in  all  India.  It 
has  a  large  native  city  full  of  historic  interest, 
and  an  expansive  European  quarter,  where  the 
military  cantonment  is,  and  where  the  English 
residents  live  in  handsome  houses  standinor  in 
lovely  wooded  grounds.  The  whole  place  is  full 
of  natural  loveliness.  There  are  the  ruins  of  an 
old  fort,  every  stone  of  which  could  tell  its  story 
of  fierce  struggles  and  warlike  deeds,  and,  I  am 
afraid,  also  of  much  cruelty  and  oppression. 
Many  will  remember  the  stor>'  of  Sir  David  Baird 


368  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 

and  his  captivity,  regarding  which  his  mother 
made  the  memorable  remark,  ' '  Pity  the  man  who 
is  chained  to  oor  Davie!"  Well,  it  was  here  poor 
"Davie"  was  chained;  and  I  think  it  must  have 
been  even  harder  for  the  brave  man  to  be  made  a 
show  and  spectacle  of  daily  for  the  amusement  of 
the  ladies  of  the  zenana,  and  to  draw  water  for 
them  from  a  well  which  is  still  shown  as  one  of 
the  curiosities  of  the  place,  than  to  endure  even 
the  chains  and  the  dungeon. 

A  far  greater  disappointment,  however,  was 
that  I  could  so  seldom  accompany  my  husband  in 
his  visits  to  the  missionaries  and  saw  so  little  of 
their  work.  Missions  in  Bangalore  have  been 
most  successful,  and  the  schools,  congregations, 
and  different  operations  carried  on  so  extensively 
in  the  place  are  full  of  interest.  We  received 
much  kindness  from  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rice,  of  the 
London  Missionary  Society,  and  from  many 
others  whose  names  I  need  not  mention,  including 
Mr.  Morrison,  chaplain  of  the  Scotch  church. 

But  Dr.  Mitchell  paid  a  visit  to  our  friend 
Miss  Anstey's  deeply  interesting  Faith  Mission  at 
Colar,  some  distance  from  Bangalore,  and  has 
given  me  the  following  account  of  it: 

"Colar  is  a  town  of  eleven  thousand  inhabi- 
tants, about  forty  miles  from  Bangalore.  Mrs. 
Mitchell  was  not  able  to  visit  this  station,  and  it 


HOMEWARD. 


falls  to  me  to  say  a  few  words  regarding  the  very 
remarkable  work  there  carried  on  by  Miss  An- 
stey. 

"  Miss  Anstey  returned  to  India  in  the  end  of 
1876,  after  being  restored  from  what  had  seemed 
hopeless  illness.  Her  prayer  was  that  she  might 
have  work  in  training  young  people.  Famine 
broke  out,  and  it  was  evident  that  multitudes  of 
children  would  be  left  destitute.  She  accordingly 
settled  at  Colar,  in  the  heart  of  the  district  where 
famine  was  raging,  and  prepared  to  receive  as 
many  orphans  as  might  come  to  her.  She  was 
in  connection  with  no  missionary  society,  had 
not  much  money  of  her  own,  and  had  received  no 
promise  of  contributions.  She  felt,  however,  that 
her  call  was  clear.  She  at  once  ordered  a  house 
to  be  built  for  the  reception  of  seven  hundred 
orphans.  Children  came  to  her  in  large  numbers; 
from  first  to  last  she  has  received  fully  eleven 
hundred.  Many  died,  famine  having  terribly 
weakened  the  powers  of  life  before  they  arrived. 
Some  were  enticed  away  by  relatives  or  friends 
when  the  famine  ceased.  Many,  however,  have 
been  settled — generally  as  married  couples — on 
little  farms  belonging  to  the  mission.  At  present 
(August,  1885)  the  number  in  the  Orphanage  is 
about  three  hundred  and  fifty.  The  mission  has 
all  along  been  conducted — to  use  Miss  Austey's 

tkcuuti  lu  Huullictii  luUlu.  2X 


370  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 

words — 'on  the  principle  of  looking  to  the  Lord 
alone  for  all  supplies.'  And  the  supplies  have 
been  sent.  The  heathen  have  been  deeply  im- 
pressed by  this,  and  a  high  Government  servant, 
a  Brahman,  has  always  addressed  his  official  let- 
ters to  'God's  Orphanage,  Colar.'  When  I  saw 
this  brave  woman  in  the  midst  of  her  labors  I 
feared  that  the  burden  would  crush  her.  Not  the 
financial  burden;  my  question  as  to  that  received 
the  prompt  reply :  '  The  Lord  has  provided  and 
will  provide.'  But  there  was  a  multitude  of  busi- 
ness matters  connected  with  the  large  establish- 
ment which  I  felt  no  woman  should  be  troubled 
with.  Still,  her  health  has  been  preserved  so  far 
that  a  short  visit  to  Britain  seems  likely  to  restore 
all  her  energies.  He  who  has  upheld  and  guided 
her  till  now  will,  I  doubt  not,  uphold  and  guide 
her  still." 

It  had  been  one  of  my  dreams — though  one 
not  to  be  realized — to  see  Miss  Anstey  and  her 
large  family  of  poor  famine  orphans  and  their 
home,  and  all  her  important  and  most  arduous 
work  which  is  carried  on  by  simple  faith  in  God's 
providing.  She  and  her  children  ask  in  prayer 
for  what  they  need.  Her  motto  is,  "The  Lord 
will  provide;"  and  he  does  provide,  by  putting  it 
into  the  hearts  of  his  people  to  send  her  the 
means — and  she  needs  large  means — to  feed  and 


HOMEWARD. 


clothe  and  educate  and  set  out  in  life  her  large 
company  of  poor  friendless  children  of  both  sexes. 
Can  we  not  help  her  a  little  more?  Can  we  not 
help  all  missions  a  little  more?  We  can  surely 
do  so  by  contributing  more,  working  harder, 
seeking  to  interest  others,  and  above  all,  by  more 
believing  prayer.  Then  can  we  not,  many  more 
of  us,  give  ourselves  to  the  work  ?  For  we  want 
multitudes  of  workers,  both  men  and  women. 
IVIay  the  Spirit  of  God  so  fill  our  hearts  with  love 
to  Christ  and  compassion  for  poor  India  that  we 
shall  go  forth  in  far  greater  numbers  and  with 
far  more  perfect  consecration  until  we  have  won 
the  whole  land  for  Him! 

It  might  be  done  easily !  The  whole  of  India 
could  be  evangelized  in  a  generation  if  Christian 
people  would  only  bestir  themselves  and  bring 
great  and  adequate  means  to  bear  on  the  great 
and  glorious  work.  And  let  us  hope  that  the  first 
work  of  all  the  churches,  as  it  would  certainly  be 
the  grandest,  will  more  and  more  be  the  evangeli- 
zation of  the  whole  heathen  world,  until  the  idols 
are  utterly  abolished  and  the  name  of  Christ 
known  and  honored  from  the  rising  to  the  setting 
of  the  sun. 

Our  journey  from  Bangalore  to  the  Deccan 
was  a  trying  one,  there  were  so  many  changes; 
but  at  length,  on  the  i6th  of  June,  after  six 


372  SCENES  IN  SOUTHERN  INDIA. 

months'  wanderings,  we  found  ourselves  once 
more  under  the  hospitable  roof  of  the  mission 
house  at  Poona.  A  few  weeks  later  and  I  was 
tossing  on  the  wild  monsoon  billows  of  the  Indian 
Ocean,  homeward  bound.  I  have  bidden  adieu  to 
India,  sorrowing  most  of  all  because  in  all  human 
probability  I  shall  see  her  loved  face  no  more ! 


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